Ministry urged to foil Apple Online deal
The Economic Democracy Union yesterday urged the Ministry of Economic Affairs to block the proposed acquisition of the Apple Online news Web site by Singaporean entrepreneur Joseph Phua (潘杰賢), citing concerns over his ties with Beijing. The think tank at a news conference in Taipei said that a major business partner of Phua is involved in businesses linked to the Chinese government. Phua’s potential buyout of the digital tabloid — linked to Hong Kong’s shuttered <i>Apple Daily</i> newspaper — became an object of public scrutiny following allegations that he could be p...