Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) yesterday urged the government to form a cross-party economic task force as soon as possible to help boost the nation’s economy next year.
The task force should push government officials to draft economic policies and accelerate their legislative progress, Gou said, adding that he thinks Vice Premier Simon Chang (張善政) should lead the task force, as Chang is knowledgeable about the nation’s industries.
“A lot of people have a pessimistic view about Taiwan’s economic outlook next year, especially for the panel industry... Instead of worrying, why doesn’t the government take action now to help boost the economy?” Gou told reporters after a lunch meeting with China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) in Taipei.
Gou said it does not matter which political party wins the presidential election next month, the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should reach out and initiate the task force.
“The government should take action now,” Gou said. “I believe if the government does something now, its efforts will be seen in the economy in the third and fourth quarters next year.”
Commenting on his lunch meeting with Chen, Gou said he told Chen that it would have an adverse impact on both nations’ panel industries if China continues to expand its capacity.
“The market will definitely face excessive supply,” Gou said, adding that “Taiwan and China’s panel industry could complement each other, rather than competing head-to-head.”
Gou said he told Chen that Taiwanese panel makers hope China could offer beneficial tariff treatment for high-end panel products.
In a bid to help the panel industry, the government should speed up negotiations with China while cross-strait relations remain cordial, Gou said.
Gou said he understands that during the negotiations the government has to protect the interests of the agricultural industry, but that it should not neglect the importance of reduced tariffs to the panel industry.
“Of course, we cannot sacrifice farmers’ interests, but we cannot ignore the panel industry either,” he said.
Gou said if the government does not strive to remove import tariffs for the nation’s flat panels, Taiwanese panel makers would face severe competition from their South Korean counterparts in the Chinese market, dragging down the panel industry’s supply chain.
In the meantime, Gou said, Taiwanese panel makers should focus on upgrading their technologies to maintain their competitiveness.
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