Taipei

Taiwan chip 'godfather' bullish on cryptocurrency

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

The revered head of Taiwan's semiconductor giant said cryptocurrencies would be a key driver for growth despite a bitcoin slump due to the threat of stricter regulations. Morris Chang's Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) produces chips that power Apple's iPhones and, more recently, that enable new businesses like artificial intelligence and digital currency mining. TSMC -- which is the world's biggest microchipRead more

China's aircraft carrier sails by Taiwan as tensions grow

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

China's sole operational aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait Wednesday, the island's defence ministry said, as Beijing steps up pressure on its democratic rival. It comes weeks after Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen warned against what she called China's "military expansion" -- the increase of air and naval drills around the island since she came to power in May 2016. Beijing views the self-rulingRead more

Taiwan passports recalled over picture mix-up

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

Taiwan has had to scrap 200,000 new passports after an embarrassing design blunder mistakenly swapped an image of an airport in Washington for the island's main airport. The head of consular affairs resigned and another official was demoted Wednesday over the fiasco as online pundits joked Taiwan had become the "51st state" of the United States. The mockery reflects Taiwan's delicate politicalRead more

Taiwan filmmaker's vibrant vision

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

From the migration of purple butterflies to the crafting of bamboo steam baskets, Taiwan's leading 3D film director has spent a decade painstakingly capturing the island's beauty. After a life-threatening tumour left him partially deaf and blind in one eye in 2002, Charlie Chu moved away from making television series and music videos, instead seeking to focus on life's precious details. HisRead more

Taiwan's creative campaign for traditional characters

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

As a growing number of people around the world learn simplified Chinese instead of the more complicated traditional characters, young creatives in Taiwan are fighting to promote what they fear will become a dying art. Introduced by the Chinese Communist Party in the 1950s to boost literacy, the simplified version of the script uses fewer strokes and is now theRead more

New blood and old masters keep

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

In a quiet workshop in Taipei, three young women meticulously sew and iron under the watchful eye of a master dressmaker with decades of experience in creating the classic "qipao". Lin Chin-te, 74, is among a handful of craftsmen in Taiwan who still specialise in handmaking the high-collar, figure-hugging garment which was once part of many women's daily wardrobes. HisRead more

Samurai sword attack outside Taiwan presidential office

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

A samurai sword-wielding attacker carrying the national flag of China slashed a military police guard outside Taiwan's presidential office Friday, authorities said. The Taiwanese man who was arrested at the scene said he was expressing his political views and had stolen the sword from a nearby history museum, police told AFP. The presidential office in the centre of the capitalRead more

'Little Olympics' spotlights China row

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

Taiwan is about to host its largest ever sporting event, attracting thousands of athletes from around the world, but the World University Games, dubbed the “Little Olympics”, has highlighted tensions with China and Taiwan’s struggle for international recognition. The biennial Summer Universiade will draw more than 7,000 student athletes to Taipei for two weeks from Saturday, to compete in sportsRead more

Second typhoon batters Taiwan; financial markets open on Monday;

Taipei - Muslimchronicle

The second storm to hit Taiwan in 24 hours battered southern and central parts of the island on Monday after Typhoon Nesat injured more than 100 people and shut businesses at the weekend. Financial markets and businesses will be open in Taipei on Monday as the capital returns to normal. However, the island’s second-largest city of Kaohsiung, on the southernRead more