Taiwan committed to direct links

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday that the government is committed to the opening of direct links between Taiwan and China, although no such conclusion emerged from the discussions of the National Economic Development Conference (全國經濟發展會議).

"This is a policy the government has made and we will definitely move in this direction," Chang said. However, he emphasized, in order to proceed with the "small three links" across the Taiwan Strait by an ordered, set schedule, both sides first need to sit down for formal discussions.

Chang made the remarks during a press conference soon after a two-day national economic meeting concluded in Taipei yesterday.

However, Chang declined to outline how Taiwan will proceed with full-scale cross-strait links -- direct transportation, postal and trade links -- saying that the details should be discussed by official bodies from the two sides before actual implementation.

The issue cannot be unilaterally decided by Taipei or Beijing, he said.

As for the important "no haste, be patient" (戒急用忍) policy -- which was designed by Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) government in 1996 to curb Taiwanese investment in China, the premier said the Executive Yuan will make a final decision within one month after the readjustment plan has been fully assessed by the Cabinet.

He said that the government will relax restrictions following the establishment of a risk management mechanism, including a capital reflux system for local investors, to oversee Taiwanese investment in China.

The premier said the two-day meeting provided the government with many ideas to boost the nation's slowing economy and he promised that the government will try to implement the conclusions reached over the past two days.

Chang said he has instructed the Council for Economic Planning and Development to act upon the suggestions from all 10 panel discussions held during the conference. In addition, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, and other related government agencies have also been called on to propose an "economic stimulus project" within a week, he said.

The conference, originally planned in response to the six-point statement made by the three major opposition parties to the minority government in late November, was attended by some 300 government officials, business leaders, and scholars.

With the goal of improving the island's investment environment, participants recommended that the government adopt such policies as giving local governments more power to handle financial issues, land zoning, and industrial park management.

T`he government was also urged to implement major public projects, including the opening of more independent power plants and the building of a sixth power distribution grid, to stimulate private sector participation.

As for land acquisition for industrial use, the government should further red tape and slash the reviewing period for the environmental impact assessment of proposed sites to less than eight months, conference participants said.