Premier orders Cabinet to act on `10 conclusions'

Echoing President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) recent calls to assist the country's prosperity, consolidate its democracy and improve its security during the Ta Shee meeting (大溪會議), Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday asked related Cabinet departments to start drawing up plans to help bring the meeting's conclusions to fruition.

"It was an important meeting called at a critical time. We hope that related departments will do their best to help make the 10 conclusions reached at the meeting become reality," Cabinet Spokesman Chuang Suo-hang (莊碩漢) quoted the premier as saying during the press conference held after the weekly closed-door Cabinet affairs meeting yesterday morning.

Chuang also spoke about the government's efforts to implement the recommendations made by the Economic Development Advisory Conference (經發會) held last year and the determination to execute the six-year national development plan.

"But we're not content with what we've achieved right now because we're well aware that the people have higher expectations of us," he said. "As the 10 conclusions of the meeting specifically outline the guidelines for us to follow, we'll get to work on making them a reality."

The 10 major points concluded at the two-day meeting include enhancing efforts to normalize cross-strait trade relations and seeking free-trade agreements with the nation's major trading partners, including Japan, the US and ASEAN countries.

To strengthen the country's financial system, the government should cut the ratio of non-performing loans at financial institutions to below 5 percent and raise the level of capital available by more than 8 percent within two years.

To help facilitate the process of writing off bad loans, the government should expand the NT$140 billion (US$4.1 billion) financial rehabilitation fund.

Currently, the financial rehabilitation fund accounts for just 1.4 percent of gross domestic product, low in comparison with the 2 percent in the US, 12 percent in Japan and 18 percent in South Korea.

In addition, the DPP should establish a legislative alliance as soon as possible that would dedicate itself to developing the country's economy.

To draw up strategies to help the government cope with future challenges and the development of international relations, Chen invited policymakers from the National Security Council, the Cabinet and the DPP headquarters to attend the two-day closed-door meeting at the Ta Shee Resort in Taoyuan County on Saturday.

During the meeting -- the largest policymaking gathering of top government officials since the DPP came to power -- Chen stressed the relationship between a sound economy, democracy and security.