Government officials yesterday vowed to complete the Taoyuan Aerotropolis Project, saying it would be a key project affecting the economic development of the nation in the next generation.
The project is a large development surrounding the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) Director-General Jean Shen (沈啟) told a forum hosted by the Institute of Transportation that the project was one of the flagship programs outlined by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in his “vision of a golden decade.”
The project involves the development of 4,771 hectares, she said.
“For the project, the government still needs to expropriate 3,126 hectares of land, which would account for 40 percent of the total land expropriated across the nation in the past 40 years,” Shen said. “The importance of such a project does not lie only in the massive capital it requires, but it is also one of the key projects that will help Taiwan face the global competition in the next generation. It is not just about building a new terminal, a new runway or other infrastructure. The project would require a comprehensive plan on the industrial development, as well as residential zones.”
Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) said that Taiwan’s minimum wage has remained unchanged for years because the nation has not taken advantage of its geographical advantages to upgrade its industries.
“We should not be embarrassed to admit that Taiwan is in the nucleus of Asia. From here, one can get to major cities in Asia in the shortest time, compared with other countries,” Wu said. “We should use this geographical advantage to develop international logistics services, through which we can help change the tide for the 22K generation [people with a monthly wage of NT$22,000]. It is essentially contradictory if one is against 22K, but opposes free trade at the same time.”
Wu said that the county estimated that 8,000 households and 25,000 people would need to be relocated to make way for the project, which would be the nation’s largest land expropriation.
He said that the county would start moving people only after their new homes are built.
Even though the plan is called Taoyuan Aerotropolis Project, Wu said that the project not only concerns people in Taoyuan County, but throughout the country.
Huang Ming-kai (黃明塏), deputy director of the urban and rural development branch under the Ministry of the Interior, said that the country must complete the project.
“We are absolutely confident that we can accomplish this mission impossible,” Huang said.
Huang said that it has taken the nation 30 years to develop the project, adding that the site for the the third runway has been chosen and the high-speed rail constructed.
The nation is also about to launch the Airport Rail, he said.
He said that the project needs to undergo an environmental impact review, as well as other reviews.
Through the cooperation of CAA and other government agencies, the branch has been trying to present the information to the members serving at these review committees and convince them of the necessity of the project, he said.
The branch has sent officials to gather feedback from the public.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS