The total production value of the nation's environmental industry is expected to reach NT$72 billion (US$2.18 billion) for this year, and the government has put forward its vision for making the country a main technique-support center of the industry in Asia, a spokesman for the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said yesterday.
The spokesman said that the environmental industry was part of the service sector, which was now contributing more than 70 percent to the nation's GDP.
The industry was very strong this yearin the areas of refuse incineration and recycling, he said.
The council expects the production value of the environmental industry to surpass last year's NT$71.2 billion and provide more than 2 million job opportunities.
The spokesman said that although the industry in Taiwan had a localized character, it also had an international competitive edge in technique, equipment and systems integration.
The government has put forward three visions for achieving this goal, with the first being to make Taiwan an industry leader in Southeast Asia and to build up its brand names by offering support in environmental systems, equipment and materials, the spokesman said.
The second is to build Taiwan into a coordination, promotion and operations center of the industry in Asia, and the third is to make Taiwan the main technique-support center in Asia.
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