China's fabless chip companies are turning to Taiwan to a greater degree to help them get close to the leading-edge in geometry and compete globally, according to an IC design house and fabless chip company survey conducted by EE Times-China.

Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens and Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer were among the six central bankers to receive the top grade from the Global Finance magazine. The others were Lebanon's Riad Salameh, Malaysia's Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Amando Tetangco of the Philippines and Taiwan's Fai-Nan Perng.

China is putting a competitive squeeze on some of its partners that still use the mainland as a source of low-cost design and manufacturing. Good Will Instrument, a 700-person test and measurement company in Taiwan, is just one of the companies feeling the pinch.

Hitachi, Ltd. will pull the plug on TV production before the current fiscal year ends next March as it has suffered deteriorating profitability amid intensifying price competition with South Korean and other foreign rivals, the company said Wednesday.

Japanese consumer electronics giant Sharp Corporation and Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Ltd - more famously known for its subsidiary Foxconn which manufactures some of the world's most popular products including the iPhone and iPad for Apple, as well as the Playstation 3 (PS3) for Sony - have joined forces to cut the costs of LCD TV panel supply. Both parties hope that this alliance will enable them to compete more effectively against South Korean rivals like Samsung and LG.

Taiwanese prosecutors have indicted former president Lee Teng-hui, the state's first democratically elected leader, on corruption charges.

Hitachi Ltd is in talks with Toshiba and Sony about joining the merger of their liquid-crystal display (LCD) units, a move that would create the world's largest maker of small panels, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

3M has announced the opening of the company's application laboratory in Yangmei, Taiwan, for 200mm and 300mm temporary wafer bonding. The addition expands 3M's existing wafer support applications labs in Japan and the US to meet customer demand.

Taiwan has lifted a decades-old ban on travel to the island by individual Chinese tourists, saying visitors would act as "peace ambassadors" for the former arch foe. The first batch of independent mainland tourists, from Beijing, Shanghai and the city of Xiamen on the southeast coast, will arrive next Tuesday (June 28).

China will relax a decades-old ban on travel to Taiwan by individuals under a pilot scheme starting June 28, the government said Sunday, responding to growing demand amid a thaw between the two sides.

A warning from a government trade council in Taiwan highlights concerns that the island has become increasingly isolated by the burgeoning network of free trade agreements connecting Asia and the rest of the world.

China has called on Taiwanese companies to ensure work safety after a deadly explosion last week at a plant operated by Foxconn where Apple's iPad2 was being assembled. An initial investigation showed that the accident may have been caused by an explosion of combustible dust in the polishing workshop.

Manosha Karunatilaka, a former account manager at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), pleaded guilty to charges that he participated in an insider trading scheme tied to Primary Global Research, an expert network firm.

Taiwan's currency advanced 0.8% to NT$28.511 against its US counterpart as of 9:24 a.m. local time, according to Taipei Forex. It touched NT$28.495 earlier, the strongest level since October 1997.

Despite past political tensions, enterprising Taiwanese had long been doing business in China. However, it was only until after a financial memorandum of understanding was signed in 2009 that Taiwanese banks were able to follow suit.

Robert Tsao, honorary chairman of United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), said recently in a TV interview that he has given up his Taiwan citizenship. Disappointment in the domestic judicial system is the major reason why Tsao decided to become a Singaporean.

It may seem strange this has not happened before - Chinese students make up some of the largest groups of foreign students in many countries, including the US and UK.

Renesas is in talks to outsource production of auto microcontrollers to Globalfoundries Singapore, and some mobile phone semiconductor production to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Shino Inokuma, a spokesman for Renesas, said by telephone.

President Ma Ying-jeou and more than 300 entertainers raised NT$800 million (US$26.7 million) in a four-hour fundraiser broadcast live on local channels late Friday, said co-organiser Taiwan Red Cross. Another fundraiser co-sponsored by World Vision Taiwan also saw hundreds of local celebrities join hands to raise NT$114 million for Japan quake relief.

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) lifted a tsunami warning at 6:40 p.m. Friday as tidal waves triggered by a magnitude-8.9 earthquake that struck off Japan's northeastern coast earlier in the day were no longer believed likely to create damage in Taiwan.

The Taiwan government's plan to increase the penalties against employers who violate maximum work-hour regulations has drawn expressions of concern among industrial associations, which called for further assessment of the proposal.

Chinese companies will be allowed to buy a stake of as much as 10% in Taiwanese technology companies, according to a proposal by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Asian currencies were set for a weekly decline, led by the Taiwan dollar and South Korea's won, as an uprising in Libya pushed up oil prices and sapped demand for emerging-market assets.

ProMOS has been negotiating with the Taiwan authorities and banks to improve its financial standing, a precondition for the firm to join the Elpida-Powerchip business integration.

The arrest of a Taiwanese general accused of spying for China is a warning to Taiwan to be wary of its old foe despite warming economic links that are likely to stay unscathed by the case.

Fabless LCD developer Pixel Qi has announced it has struck a manufacturing partnership with Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) of Taiwan.

Taiwan's dollar rose past NT$29 against the greenback for the first time since 1997 on speculation the central bank is letting the currency strengthen as foreign funds buy the island's assets.

Elpida plans to finalize the business integration talks by the end of this month by obtaining approval from Taiwan authorities and securing support from financial institutions in Taiwan, sources said. Rexchip Electronics would become a holding company with Powerchip and ProMOS under its umbrella.

The monetary authority has been limiting gains in the Taiwan dollar toward the close of trading almost every day since April.

Factory output growth eased in India and China in December, but strengthened in South Korea and Taiwan, narrowing a gap in manufacturing activity between much of developing Asia and the region's emerging economic giants.

Elpida Memory intends to launch capital tie-up talks with Taiwan firms that are currently the world's sixth- and seventh-biggest DRAM chipmakers. Elpida president Yukio Sakamoto plans to visit Taiwan early next month (January 2011) to start the talks and hopes to reach a deal by the end of the company's fiscal year, according to sources.

The medical and health agreement will help the two sides set up a system to share information about infectious diseases, ensure drug safety and develop new medicines, as well as address emergency medical needs, according to the Straits Exchange Foundation.

China's top negotiator for Taiwan Chen Yunlin is scheduled to meet his Taiwanese counterpart for talks on December 21. The talks will focus on epidemic-control measures and joint R&D of medicines, herbal medicines and emergency treatment.

The currency rose as much as 2.3% to NT$29.890 versus the greenback, its highest since October 1997, before trimming its gain to close at NT$30.45.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) plans to build one more "mega-fab" at a cost of up to NT$300 billion (US$10 billion). Construction of the fab, codenamed Fab 16, will start in 2014 probably at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP).

China is awarding a peace prize to counter the Nobel recognizing imprisoned democracy campaigner Liu Xiaobo. Organizers of the Confucius Peace Prize will honor former Taiwanese vice president Lien Chan in Beijing for his efforts at building peace between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.