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TEEMA pushes Yu on economy

The output value of the nation's electrical and electronic manufacturing industry reached US$136.5 billion last year, up 7.4 percent from a year earlier, benefiting from rising global demand for the nation's handsets, notebook computers and other goods, a local association head said yesterday.

That output figure accounted for nearly 50 percent of the nation's total industrial output value last year, Rock Hsu (許勝雄), chairman of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (TEEMA, 電電公會), said at the association's annual member meeting.

"Taiwan's double-e [electrical and electronic] industry has made a great number of contributions to the local economy," Hsu said.

Hsu said the double-e industry's export value reached US$65.2 billion last year -- a 10.4 percent growth from US$72 billion in 2002, while its import value saw 14.6 percent growth from US$41.1 billion in 2002 to US$41.1 billion last year.

The government earlier this month raised its economic-growth forecast for this year to 5.41 percent from 4.7 percent, partly to reflect increased optimism about the outlook for exports.

Invited to address the association members yesterday, Premier Yu Shyi-kun promised to accelerate economic reforms so as to improve the investment environment for the high-tech sector.

Yu also vowed to consolidate the government's "simplified program for cross-strait cargo air transport," launched last September in lieu of the complicated implementation of direct links between Taiwan and China.

Upon suggestions from business leaders, the premier said the government would allocate more investment on the newly emerging biotechnology industry by raising the government's budget for its research and development (R&D) work while focusing on an application oriented R&D approach.

Yu reiterated his administration's goal is to build the nation into a capital-raising hub in the region while boosting its sound economic fundamentals, which he said would ensure a solid recovery with an estimated 5.41 percent of economic growth this year.

Speaking at the same meeting, Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) also highlighted the importance of R&D, which she hopes will bring about a "cluster effect" to beef up the sector's international competitiveness.

She urged local high-tech enterprises and multinationals to set up their R&D hubs and regional headquarters in Taiwan in order to facilitate the goal of becoming a value-added product and service center.

Both Ho and Hsu, in addition, yesterday downplayed the repercussions on cross-strait businesses of China's hostile responses to President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inaugural address.

Ho said that China should fully acknowledge Taiwanese busi-nesses' contribution to its economy and soon remove trade barriers across the Taiwan Strait.

Hsu also urged both nations to drop ideological differences and create a win-win situation based on the principle of mutual economic benefits by building Taiwan into a world-class R&D center, which takes advantage of China's manufacturing base.

Meanwhile, TEEMA yesterday reshuffled its board of directors with Hsu winning a second term as chairman.

Hsu then appointed two vice chairmen -- Hung Min-hung (洪敏弘), chairman of Matsushita Electric (Taiwan) Co (台灣松下電器) and Arthur Chiao (焦佑鈞), chairman of Winbond Electronics Corp, (華邦電子) -- to help him with administrative matters.
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