Taiwan Offers Compromise on Direct China Links
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Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian proposed  on Tuesday to define direct transport links with rival China as  cross-Strait routes, in a bid to bypass a longstanding  political dispute, but Beijing is likely to ignore him.
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China has rebuffed suggestions by US Secretary of State Colin Powell that it consider accepting the Taiwanese President&#39;s offer of talks to reduce cross-strait tension.
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Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian (é³æ°´æ) said yesterday a controversial arms deal was part of the government&#39;s attempts to deter any attempt by rival China to invade the island.
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The Taiwan government will sign a memorandum work on WiMax technology and product development with multinationals.
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The United States urged Taiwan to open direct transportation and business links with China despite lingering hostility across the strait.
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The Taiwan government will sign a memorandum of understanding next week to work on WiMax technology and product development with multinationals including Intel, NEC, Nortel Networks, and German WiMax tester Rohde &amp; Schwarz (R&amp;S).The initiative is part of Taiwan&#39;s plan to become one of the largest producers of&#160;WiMax equipment&#160;in the world. The island is already positioning itself to be one of the&#160;fastest adopters of WiMax wireless broadband&#160;Internet connectivity outside of North America. Officials see the technology as a good way to spread broadband Internet access throughout the island, which includes remote mountain villages and sparsely populated outlying islands.Taiwan often signs such agreements with multinationals to stimulate technology development on the island. Often, such deals offer incentives for companies to build R&amp;D centers on the island focused on a certain technology, such as tax-free status, research grants, rent-free space in science parks and more. Officials plan to release more details at the 2007 WiMax Forum Taipei Showcase and Conference next week.Earlier this week, officials pledged to spend $1.22 billion to build out Taiwan&#39;s WiMax network over the next five years, including $1 billion for a fiber optic backbone running down the length of the island and $220 million for WiMax base stations and other equipment.The island has been promoting its M Taiwan project, or Mobile Taiwan, to speed up Internet mobility and encourage companies on the island to invest more in building products for WiMax, 3G (third generation telecommunications) and other wireless technologies.NEC has already announced that its equipment will be used by Taiwanese WiMax license winner Tatung next week in an ambulance test. The companies will show how a patient&#39;s vital signs such as heartbeat and blood pressure can be sent ahead to a hospital before the ambulance arrives via WiMax, allowing hospital workers to better prepare for the incoming emergency. The trial will run Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, the companies said in a statement.Taiwan held a WiMax license auction earlier this year to six companies, three each for the north and south of Taiwan. The three winners of southern Taiwan licenses were&#160;Far EasTone Telecommunications, Vastar Cable TV System, and Tatung. For the north, the winners were Global On, First International Telecom, and a joint venture between Tecom and 3G network operator VIBO Telecom.&#160;
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(InfoWorld) - Earlier this year, members of Chinese and Taiwanese IT associations announced broad plans to work together to jointly develop and promote Linux as well as home-grown standards for certain IT components. The idea is to match Taiwanâs technology prowess with Chinaâs huge number of users as a base for a global Linux putsch, and to create new standards to compete with global initiatives from Blu-ray to CDMA (Code Division Mutliple Access). At an IT trade show in Shanghai, IDG News Service (IDGNS) caught up with Roger Liao, deputy director of international affairs at one of Taiwanâs biggest industry groups, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturersâ Association (TEEMA), to discuss progress on both fronts, in addition to other IT developments in China. IDG News Service: How is work on Linux progressing? Whatâs popular and whatâs not in Taiwan and China? Liao: It really depends on what kind of product youâre talking about. For example, China really wants to promote Linux as an OS, because itâs more stable. But Microsoft is by far the more popular OS here because people are used to it and it has a larger market share. Microsoftâs recent deal with Novell is another aspect thatâs very interesting, but itâs too early to say how that will affect Linux development and usage in China. Linux is still mostly used in servers and as embedded software in China and Taiwan. A number of Taiwanese companies have opened Linux development centers in China for embedded software development. Although Chinese engineers are less experienced, they are not expensive to hire, and they learn quickly. Even we (TEEMA) use Chinese engineers for all of our software needs, but thatâs mostly our Web site and e-commerce platform. IDGNS: What about the development of new technology standards? Weâve heard a lot about meetings between Taiwanese and Chinese IT associations to create new global technology standards. Whatâs been accomplished so far? Liao: Thereâs not a lot going on so far, just a lot of talking. Developing standards is very difficult, itâs actually a very political issue. Itâs something we (Taiwan-China) always talk about â we even held discussions at the recent APEC meeting (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, Hanoi, Nov. 18,19) â but nothing concrete has come from these discussions. Most of our members are manufacturers, contract manufacturers, so they normally wait and see what standard wins out, and then embrace the winner. Thatâs the way itâs been for years, and I donât see it changing anytime soon. IDGNS: Speaking of manufacturing, is the growth of China really hurting Taiwanese manufacturers? Liao: A lot of Taiwanese companies are already using China as a manufacturing base, so theyâre taking advantage of the low costs. But the other issue is quality. Even Chinese companies that are making components on their own, well their quality isnât as good as Taiwan. There are also more risks in doing business with China. Chinese companies will always say âcan doâ even if they canât, which is a problem if your business depends on their delivery. So overall, it may be less expensive on the surface, but other problems such as low quality and business risk in China can increase expenses over the long run, and then it doesnât seem so cheap anymore. Taiwan has been involved in international business for years, particularly in IT. China is rather new to the game, and they still have a lot to learn. Taiwan is actually the best partner for foreigners to approach using China as a manufacturing base and as a market. Japanese companies tend to prefer partnering with Taiwanese companies when entering China. They take advantage of Taiwanâs long experience in China as well as better communication skills (Mandarin is spoken in both Taiwan and China). Itâs more difficult for Japanese companies to do it on their own, the costs are much higher. They definitely can do it, but there is a learning curve and itâs expensive to climb. Taiwan still has a big advantage in know-how, the knowledge of the local people, the education, and the experience with international business practices and standards. (Liao was in Shanghai for a major electronics trade show in China, a three-in-one combo; the China Electronics Fair (CEF Shanghai 2006), Asia Electronics Exhibition in Shanghai (AAES 2006), and the 2006 International Electronics Expo (IEE Shanghai 2006).ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
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Recent comments by President Chen Shui-bian on the sensitive issue of Taiwan's name revealed his intention to steer the island toward independence, a Chinese government spokesman said.
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Taipei may have to rethink its China investment policies in the wake of an offer by a foreign group to buy the world's largest chip assembly company, Taiwan's Advanced Semiconductor EngineeringÂ (ASE).
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Direct commercial flights between historic foes China and Taiwan resume after 55 years.
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China appeals to Taiwan's leader to allow 'one-off' direct flights to and from Taiwan during Lunar New Year.
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Talks between diplomatic rivals Taiwan  and China could resume if the island sticks to a 1992  interpretation of the "one China" principle, Chinese newspapers  on Monday quoted a top negotiator with Taiwan as saying.
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Taiwan has agreed in principle to allow  microchip packaging firms to set up units in China, but final  approval will have to wait until local elections are completed  next month, a newspaper said on Monday.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan's leader called for peace talks and other "concrete actions" to reduce tensions with rival China during a National Day speech on Sunday that was far more conciliatory than in years past.    President Chen Shui-bian avoided language and issues that have raised tensions in the past during the speech, and even extended Taiwan's best wishes as China prepares for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing...
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Taiwan and China reached a landmark deal  on Saturday to allow nonstop charter flights over the Chinese  New Year holidays, a move which could ease tensions and improve  ties between the bitter political rivals.
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Taiwan's president says he wants talks with China to reduce military tension and misunderstanding.
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China offered a measured response on Wednesday to Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian&#39;s party suffering an election setback over the weekend, but warned that his push for formal independence would exacerbate tensions.