EVERGREEN PURSUES DIVERSIFICATION

   Evergreen Marine Corp., the Taiwanese listed arm of the group, said that it is diversifying its operations to provide a broader foundation for its business.
In a letter to stockholders, Sun-san Lin, chairman of Evergreen Marine Corp., said that company has diversified because "it is not easy to enhance net profit solely on its core business."
    Evergreen has invested in EVA Airways and is now focussing on new areas of potential, such as mainland China, Southeast Asia, India, South and Central America, Lin said.
    Non-maritime activities targetted by Evergreen include container manufacturing, road transport, distribution and warehousing.
    Evergreen also reported that ocean freight rates are increasing and, as a result, the container shipping industry "should see a gradual resurgence in business from 1999."