One year after the government convened the Economic Development Advisory Conference (EDAC), officials and scholars noted yesterday that non-economic factors have stalled the implementation of various proposals.
KMT Legislator Chiang Ping-kun (
Chiang, who helped organize the cross-party event last year, said political factors have played a major role in hampering the revival of the economy.
Echoing President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), he said domestic political chaos has sapped investors' confidence, which in turn has dimmed overall economic performance.
The former economics minister suggested that the government strive to mend fences with China and the opposition parties at home to reverse the situation.
He particularly called for the lifting of a ban on direct transport across the Strait, saying the measure would provide enterprises the incentive to leave their headquarters in Taiwan when they move their manufacturing plants to China.
"Other measures pale in comparison with direct flight [to China] in improving the investment environment," Chiang told a seminar held by the National Policy Foundation.
Jonathan Liu (
Liu said he shared the view of pursuing reconciliation across the Strait and at home and that the government has made great strides toward this aim.
"Under President Chen, the government has repeatedly conveyed goodwill in the hope of ending the cross-strait gridlock," Liu said. "The stance remains unchanged. That is why we abandoned the `no haste, be patient' guideline when reviewing China-bound investment plans."
In line with the "active opening, effective management" doctrine, the Cabinet in March gave its nod to requests by local chip manufacturers to establish eight-inch wafer foundries in China.
Former New Party Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
Lai, who also took part in the economic forum, said he saw little effort being made to realize the assorted findings.
He noted that only 135 overseas Chinese tourists have visited Taiwan since the government permitted such trips eight months ago and that the offshore transshipping center registers a paltry NT$3 million in monthly business volume.
"And to my knowledge, proposals intended to facilitate direct links remain on the drawing board," Lai said.
Lee Jih-chu (
For the same reason, the government here has shied away from giving its go-ahead to local securities houses establishing subsidiaries across the Strait, she said.
Nevertheless, DPP lawmaker Chen Chung-hsin (
Defending the government, he said the replacement of "no haste, be patient" was a great feat and that many findings of the economic conference are still sound.
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
China’s plan to deploy a new hypersonic ballistic missile at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) base near Taiwan likely targets US airbases and ships in the western Pacific, but it would also present new threats to Taiwan, defense experts said. The New York Times — citing a US Department of Defense report from last year on China’s military power — on Monday reported in an article titled “The missiles threatening Taiwan” that China has stockpiled 3,500 missiles, 1.5 times more than four years earlier. Although it is unclear how many of those missiles were targeting Taiwan, the newspaper reported
RSS