Taiwan's top industrial group yesterday urged economics officials to open direct links with China and thereby eliminate the need for trade to go through Hong Kong.
Speaking to pundits from government, research and commercial sectors, chairman of the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA,
The association currently represents over 4,600 companies in fields ranging from semiconductors to telecommunications equipment and information technology.
Wu urged the government to speed up the lifting of the "three links" with China -- the government's ban on trade, transport and communications -- pointing out that the nation's businesses could save a great deal of money each year.
According to Wu, 20 million Taiwanese visitors travel to China via Hong Kong each year, pumping an estimated NT$50 billion into Hong Kong's economy, since travelers are forced to reroute through the former British colony instead of flying direct.
Wu also pointed out another service sector earning money unnecessarily -- Hong Kong and Chinese banks. Without Taiwanese banks being able to set up branches in China, local companies are forced to make transactions and take out loans with Chinese-owned banks. According to Wu, paying interest and transaction costs to Chinese banks helps them "get richer while we get poorer."
According to officials from the MOEA's Investment Commission(
TEEMA, which claims to account for more than 50 percent of the total value of Taiwan's industrial production, has insisted for months that the ban on direct air links with China could harm the competitiveness of Taiwan's high-tech industry.
Alarm bells have been sounding across commercial boardrooms nationwide ever since the new administration came into office, as many feel the government has put too much emphasis on welfare, leaving economic development a low priority.
According to one electronics firm, many local players have a lot of catching up to do if they are to compete in China.
"Companies like Motorola and Matsushita started doing business in China years ago ... and a number of Hong Kong firms also had a head start on us," said Lin Mao-chuan (
"The lack of clear policies really hurts companies. When the government makes a policy then suddenly changes it, that really affects businesses. How can companies plan their strategy under these circumstances?"
Meanwhile, speaking on the cross-strait trade issue yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
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