Economics experts call for reconciliation

Economists called on the ruling and opposition parties Wednesday to reconcile and begin working together to promote Taiwan's economic development.

In a seminar on the direction of future economic development of Taiwan and related challenges, Chiang Ping-kun (江丙坤), vice president of the Legislative Yuan and the founder of several KMT think tanks, said that Taiwan faces strong international competition rising from globalization.

To cope with the situation, Taiwan must upgrade its manufacturing industry, stimulate private investment, maintain a higher technological level than that of China, stabilize domestic political situations and cross-strait relations and also actively promote financial and judicial reform, he said.

All of this could only be achieved through the reconciliation of political parties, which must set aside party interests and pursue the national interest as a whole, Chiang said.

All political parties should act as if they were a ruling party in discussing and dealing with national affairs, because they all have the ability to rule after the 2004 presidential election, Chiang suggested.

For his part, Chen Po-chih (陳博志), chairman of Taiwan Thinktank, said that globalization is an international trend and the people of Taiwan should unite and pool together their resources to sharpen the competitiveness of the nation.