Addressing the opening of the two-day Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said "Taiwan first" and "investing in Taiwan first" should be the basic mindset in the formulating of economic and trade policy relating to China.
Previously promoting "active management, effective opening" (
The original title of the president's speech provided by the Presidential Office read "Taiwan first, active management."
The president's impromptu change of wording in his speech became the focus of much commentary yesterday, as local businesspeople wondered to what degree the government will carry out the president's guidelines.
Chen said that cross-strait trade would not be the only concern for the government to make its policies.
He said that it was just one part of international trade policies, which will be the government's biggest concern.
"We must put [cross-strait trade] under the entire framework of international trade and again reaffirm Taiwan's national development," Chen said.
"We should plan cross-strait trade policy from a basis -- and in consideration -- of `Taiwan first,'" he added.
The conference started yesterday amid protests outside the venue by a number of labor groups, who complained that the government's policy to import foreign laborers deprived them of their right to be employed. Taiwan's unemployment rate was 3.98 last month according to official figures, the lowest in years.
Scuffles broke out between the protesters and the police. No serious injuries were reported.
In response to the protests, Council of Labor Affairs Chairman Lee Ying-yuan (
"Actually, the jobless rate has dropped from 5.17 percent to about 4 percent. Approximately 110,000 job opportunities were created last month," Lee said.
"Also, our future policies are to make sure that our domestic laborers' legal rights are well-protected," Lee added.
In his speech to the conference, Premier Su Tseng-chang (
"Everyone of us who is attending the conference here today should abandon our selfish points of view, make a contribution, brainstorm and come up with the most effective solutions for the country," Su said.
"The government shall take advantage of the agreements of the conference and make appropriate policies with all due haste," he said.
Su said that he had first proposed the conference on March 8 because he wanted to collect ideas from the public and turn them into policies for the Cabinet to implement.
As a result, whatever agreements the conference reaches will reflect the voice of the majority, which will be valuable to the government, he said.
Topics discussed yesterday included social security, industrial competitiveness and the financial system.
Sessions on global and cross-strait economic issues, and administrative efficiency will be the subject of discussion today.
Some 100 academics, government and party officials, business groups and trade unions took part in the event yesterday.
Meanwhile, a group of Taiwan Solidarity Union legislators threatened to "declare war on the Cabinet" if it relaxed the cap on China-bound investments.
also see stories:
Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development: Industry panel sets high economic growth targets
Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development: Cross-strait issues hotly debated if finance meeting
Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development: Social group proposes national pension law
Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development: State-owned land raises ire at finance panel's meeting
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique