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 (
"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.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Stan Shih (
"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 (
Hu Sheng-cheng (
Chen Chi-nan (
Lin Sheng-feng (
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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their