President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) pledged yesterday to work through the economic crisis and open up Taiwan’s market to more foreign investment, promising to address public concerns by presenting solid solutions to stagnant salaries and high unemployment.
In his National Day address titled “Forging Ahead Together with Composure in the Face of Adversity,” Ma sought to tackle economic issues and said his administration would focus its efforts on boosting the development of service industries, raising salaries and eliminating investment barriers to create more job opportunities.
“To bolster of national security and Taiwan’s interests, we will relax regulations on foreign investments to create a friendlier and more convenient investment environment. In the future, liberalization will become the norm and barriers the exception,” Ma said at a National Day ceremony in front of the Presidential Office.
Photo: Pichi Chuang, Reuters
Ma said relaxing regulations on foreign investment would create a better investment environment and more jobs, and he promised that the government would strike a balance between labor rights and foreign investment.
“Although Taiwan’s economy has grown over the past years, many people have seen their salary remain stagnant and are not happy about that. To resolve this difficult situation, our industries must move toward higher value-added development,” he said.
Amid growing concerns about a low average salary and high unemployment rate, the president said that to make a breakthrough, the nation must restructure its industries and become a major provider of precision instruments, while strengthening the development of service industries.
Photo: Mandy Cheng, AFP
On cross-strait relations, Ma said the government would continue to push cross-strait development forward on the basis of the [so-called] “1992 consensus,” whereby each side acknowledges the existence of “one China,” but maintains its own interpretation of what that means.
As the two sides of the Taiwan Strait continue cross-strait negotiations following the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, the government plans to review and revise the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) and set up offices on each side of the Strait to serve the needs of businesspeople, students and the general public, he said.
In his address, the president also reiterated the nation’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and renewed his call for all parties to resolve the dispute peacefully.
Photo: Pichi Chuang, Reuters
The official celebration of National Day was held in a relatively low-key fashion, with the organizers cutting down the scale of the performances in front of the Presidential Office, while the crowds were thin.
The ceremony began with a 15-minute show by more than 400 members of the Ministry of National Defense Honor Guard and the Joint Military Marching Band, winning rounds of applause for their demonstration of rifle-twirling skills and drumming.
The performance ended with the servicemen forming the figure 101 in honor of the nation’s anniversary.
Photo: CNA
Ma and Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) met with foreign guests inside the Presidential Office before attending the ceremony.
First lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青), who had drawn criticism when she wore the same dress to the two previous National Day ceremonies, accompanied Ma in a new dress with floral prints in black and white.
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
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
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
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