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Trade-park decision angers Mayor Ma

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said he would seek a meeting with Premier Yu Shyi-kun to ask him to reverse the Cabinet's recent decision to block the planned construction of an exhibition hall at the Nankang Trade Park (南港經貿園區).

"We are making a request to visit Premier Yu to tell him that the original plan to build a Nankang exhibition center cannot be withdrawn," Ma said yesterday.

The mayor lashed out at the Cabinet-level Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD), which last week rejected the Ministry of Economic Affairs' proposed plan for a second time to build a business exhibition center in Taipei's Nankang district.

The proposal, originally made by the Ministry of Economic Affairs nine years ago, was widely thought to have the support of the KMT administration of the time. The ministry has spent almost NT$10 billion on preparations for construction of the center, including NT$9.3 billion on the acquisition of land.

Criticizing the decision, Ma said, "Bad government policy is more ruinous than corruption."

Ma said he was worried that if the construction project was halted, the consequences would be as disastrous as when the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant was canceled in 2000, severely damaging Taiwan's credibility.

"There will be tremendous consequences if the construction project, which has been planned for nine years, is halted abruptly," Ma told reporters.

"I am worried that the change will have a serious impact on our assiduous efforts to lure business investments to Taipei. After the experience of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, international companies have shown a lack of confidence in Taiwan -- so much so that more than 200 US companies have left Taiwan, a situation that significantly endangers the city when we are making all-out efforts to lure investment," the mayor said.

"We are very disappointed that the proposal has again been rejected by the CEPD. A total of 87 companies have moved into the park, and the second stage to lure business investments is also underway. If we cancel the construction plan now, how could we explain that to those companies and the public," Ma said.

CEPD Vice Chairman Chang Jin-sheng (張景森) said that the Nankang venue could not accommodate a big enough center to meet the government's criteria for funding.

"The CEPD does not oppose Taipei City building the Nankang exhibition center on its own, but if it wishes to get central government funding for the undertaking, the CEPD would have to select an exhibition site capable of accommodating 5,000 exhibition booths," he said.

The Nankang exhibition center could only accommodate about 3,000 booths, according to the CEPD.

Chinese-language media have reported that the CEPD is likely to decide on the site designated for the new National Taipei University in Sanshia, Taipei County, for the project.

But Cabinet Secretary-General Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) yesterday dismissed the reports.

"There's no such a thing as changing the venue since the facility has not yet been built," she said.

Liu added that the Cabinet has not yet reached a final decision on the venue since the MOEA must still conduct a second round of reviews on 13 potential venues.

Chang, hinting that Taoyuan might be the preferred choice, said, "Although we don't hold any preconceptions, Taoyuan sounds like a good choice. In addition to being close to the high-speed railway, the 20-hectare lot is much bigger than that in Taipei City, which is about six hectares."

Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
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