Legislators bemoan industrial parks

Legislators across party lines yesterday blasted industrial zones established by the government in some of Taiwan's allies, urging the foreign ministry to scrap such plans if no economic gains are expected.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) yesterday was invited to the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee at the Legislative Yuan to report on three industrial zones the government has set up in Paraguay, Panama and Costa Rica, as well as one in its former ally, Macedonia.

The written report showed that with the exception of the industrial park in Costa Rica, the other three zones had been unsuccessful economically due to what the report termed as subjective and objective constraints.

Under attack from legislators over the three failed projects, Chien said that any establishment of industrial zones in Taipei's ally countries in the future should put their economic viability at the forefront of the decision-making process.

"If we consider any such application in the future, an economic evaluation should be the top consideration. Namely, we will only invest in such a project when it is deemed to be a likely success in economic terms," Chien said. "We will not just go and invest in the project out of political considerations targeted at maintaining our diplomatic ties," Chien said.

DPP legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) blasted the ministry in her interrogation yesterday. Hsiao criticized what she called the ministry's slow reaction to her requests for information on the industrial zones, saying that sometimes her requests were ignored. She also urged the ministry to drop the projects.

PFP Legislator Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國) also described the projects as a "total failure."

"The political considerations underpinning this policy simply surpassed any professional considerations, leading to nothing but a total waste," Pang said.

Chien conceded that the policy of investing in the projects is "not ideal."

Independent lawmaker Sisy Chen (陳文茜) echoed Pang's view, saying that the establishment of a majority of the zones was merely targeted at maintaining Taipei's diplomatic ties.