TW Biz News｜WK 12/08 - 12/14

Every week, we'll select Taiwan's five business news from the previous week for your review.

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• 〔Taiwan News〕Taiwan Real Estate Alliance predicts market rebound

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Real Estate Alliance on Monday said Taiwan’s housing market has likely reached its bottom and may be poised to recover next year, despite what it described as excessive government interference that has dampened demand, per UDN.

• 〔Taiwan News〕Taiwan book retailer Eslite Spectrum reports rising sales

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Book retailer Eslite Spectrum Corporation reported sales rose to 9.3 million books this year, even as the overall number of publications in Taiwan fell 10%, reports said Tuesday. Over the past three years, the company’s revenue has risen at a steady pace, giving hope it could reach NT$30 billion (US$962.32 million) in 2028, Eslite Spectrum Chair Mercy Wu (吳旻潔) said. She added that the company’s book sales rose 3% during the year, with 10 million books a possibility in two years’ time, per CNA.

• 〔Taiwan News〕Kaohsiung and Foxconn ink NT$15.9 billion project for southern headquarters

Foxconn will invest NT$15.9 billion to build two Grade A office towers of 45 and 32 floors, including retail, restaurants, and corporate housing, with a total development area of about 52,000 pings (approx. 172,000 m²). The towers will connect to the cruise terminal via skybridges. After completion, the project will provide 20,000 pings (approx. 66,000 m²) of office space for the “Kaohsiung Asia Bay – Foxconn Flagship Headquarters” and accommodate other tech companies. It is expected to create 3,000 jobs, generate NT$20 billion in annual output, contribute NT$6.3 billion to metro construction, and add 227 public parking spaces for nearby exhibition facilities.

• 〔Focus Taiwan〕Taiwan, EU hold high-level trade talks to strengthen partnership

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) Taiwan and the European Union on Friday held the Taiwan-EU Trade and Investment Dialogue in Brussels, with discussions focusing on economic security and the resilience of semiconductor supply chains.

• 〔CommonWealth Magazine〕Why Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea Must Forge an AI Alliance

As the U.S. and China dominate AI, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea face a historic decision: stay fragmented as indispensable suppliers or join forces to shape the rules of the next technological era. What happens next could determine whether they remain powerbrokers or become bystanders in the future of AI.