The Executive Yuan yesterday outlined an implementation plan for the government’s “new southbound policy,” which is aimed at boosting ties with 16 ASEAN and South Asian nations, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
The plan is based on four principles — economic cooperation, special talent exchange programs, resource sharing and regional integration — and will pave the way for a regional economic community, Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) said.
Businesses that are among the nation’s flagship industries, such as oil refining, power generation, environmental protection, electronic toll collection and the Internet of Things, will be the first to be marketed to partner nations, Deng said.
Photo: CNA
A trade office “Taiwan Desk” is to be established in other nations to streamline communication between local governments and Taiwanese businesses, he said.
The Executive Yuan will also establish a trade negotiation office — led by Deng — to direct negotiations with 18 partner nations, and the office is to operate independently of the Presidential Office’s New Southbound Policy Office.
“A ‘national team’ will be established to help Taiwanese businesses reach out to foreign markets and find their niche,” Development Council Deputy Minister Kao Shien-quey (高仙桂) said.
“The new southbound policy differs from previous ones in that the government seeks to establish bilateral economic partnerships with Southeast Asian nations instead of unilaterally seeking subcontracts and investment opportunities in those nations,” Kao said.
Kao said that the Council of Agriculture will establish a company to market Taiwanese products and provide technical assistance to other nations, while the Ministry of Science and Technology will launch technology exchange programs focusing on disaster prevention.
Skilled immigrant workers will be eligible to apply for long-term residency and professional certification programs, while the language skills of new immigrants and their children will be used to attract more Southeast Asian tourists and teach Southeast Asian languages to Taiwanese, she said.
The number of occupational training programs is to be increased to raise the number of international students from 28,000 to 56,000 by 2019.
Scholarships are to be provided to Taiwanese students to pursue education opportunities in partner nations, where Taiwanese colleges are to establish campuses.
The government is to invest NT$4.2 billion (US$133.31 million) to implement the policy, she said.
In response to a question on how Taiwan can compete with rivals like China, when Beijing has invested a lot of time and resources into partnering with Southeast Asian nations, Deng said Taiwan’s edge lies in its “soft power” such as people’s sincerity, hospitality and work ethic.
“There is no need to compete with China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. Taiwanese businesses will also seek investment opportunities created by the Chinese initiative,” Deng said.
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
The Chien Feng IV (勁蜂, Mighty Hornet) loitering munition is on track to enter flight tests next month in connection with potential adoption by Taiwanese and US armed forces, a government source said yesterday. The kamikaze drone, which boasts a range of 1,000km, debuted at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, the official said on condition of anonymity. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and US-based Kratos Defense jointly developed the platform by leveraging the engine and airframe of the latter’s MQM-178 Firejet target drone, they said. The uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to utilize an artificial intelligence computer
Renewed border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia showed no signs of abating yesterday, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people in both countries living in strained conditions as more flooded into temporary shelters. Reporters on the Thai side of the border heard sounds of outgoing, indirect fire yesterday. About 400,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas in Thailand and about 700 schools closed while fighting was ongoing in four border provinces, said Thai Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for the military. Cambodia evacuated more than 127,000 villagers and closed hundreds of schools, the Thai Ministry of Defense said. Thailand’s military announced that
CABINET APPROVAL: People seeking assisted reproduction must be assessed to determine whether they would be adequate parents, the planned changes say Proposed amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法) advanced yesterday by the Executive Yuan would grant married lesbian couples and single women access to legal assisted reproductive services. The proposed revisions are “based on the fundamental principle of respecting women’s reproductive autonomy,” Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) quoted Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), who presided over a Cabinet meeting earlier yesterday, as saying at the briefing. The draft amendment would be submitted to the legislature for review. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, which proposed the amendments, said that experts on children’s rights, gender equality, law and medicine attended cross-disciplinary meetings, adding that
RSS