Development plan finds support

Some of the nation's top business leaders yesterday voiced strong support for the Cabinet's NT$2.6 trillion six-year national development project, aimed at turning Taiwan into a "green silicon island" -- a nation devoted to clean high-tech industries.

Morris Chang (張忠謀), chairman of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), praised the project as "creative" and "worth cheering."

"I'm particularly impressed with the talent cultivation plan, because it's important to build a first-rate talent pool in the era of the knowledge-based economy," he said.

Stan Shih (施振榮), founder of the Acer Group (宏電), also said that the project is a good one.

"It's such a good plan that the government should consider publicizing it more," he said.

Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday pledged to implement the project to the full after the Cabinet approved the plan.

"I'm well aware that the goals we set down are high, but we're determined to do our best to reach them, as I have confidence in the country, the Taiwanese people and the government," Yu said.

The government hopes that implementation of the project will help create 700,000 new jobs, spur Taiwan's economy to grow from the current 2.3 percent to 5 percent, decrease the unemployment rate from the current 5 percent to 4 percent and have research and development expenses take up 3 percent of GDP.

In addition, the Cabinet hopes the project will help develop at least 15 products or technologies that will rank among the world's best, double the current number of foreign tourists from 1 million to between 2 million and 5 million and increase the household use of broadband Internet services to 6 million homes.

While Vice Premier Lin Hsin-Yi (林信義) will supervise the broader project, five ministers without portfolio will oversee implementation of the 10 major tasks.

Hu Sheng-cheng (胡勝正) will deal with the research and development center plan, the high value-added industry plan and the operation center plan.

Chen Chi-nan (陳其南) will oversee the talent cultivation plan, the creativity industry development plan and the community construction plan.

Lin Sheng-feng (林盛豐) will take charge of plans to increase the number of tourists and the water and green construction plans.

Tsai Ching-yen (蔡清彥) is to supervise the implementation of plans to digitize Taiwan and Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), head of the Cabinet's Public Construction Commission, will oversee the nationwide mass transportation network plan.

Likening the introduction of the project to the birth of a child, Yu said he is happy to see the project come into being after 76 rounds of discussion and revision.

"We hope that with the implementation of the project, we'll be able to upgrade Taiwan's quality of life and lessen the gap between Taiwan and other developed countries," he said.