The Taiwan Competitiveness Forum rated the nation’s five main cities in terms of economic performance and found that Greater Taichung excelled in financial soundness and economic growth.
The group evaluated Taipei, New Taipei City, Greater Taichung, Greater Tainan and Greater Kaohsiung on their “economic strength” and concluded that Taichung has done an outstanding job in promoting GDP growth, employment growth and attracting immigrants, as well as having the smallest debt per capita and the lowest unemployment rate.
The group said it endorsed Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) in the year-end mayoral election.
Lee Wo-chiang (李沃牆), a professor of banking and finance at Tamkang University, compared the five cities in terms of their economic and financial development.
“Taichung’s GDP growth [in 2011] was 45.77 percent, which was the highest among the five cities. It also had the highest employment growth rate [during the period 2009 to last year] at 7.8 percent,” Lee said.
According to Lee’s chart, the GDP growth rates in Taipei, New Taipei City, Greater Tainan and Greater Kaohsiung were 15.25 percent, 9.88 percent, 35.24 percent and 29.32 percent respectively, while the employment growth rates were 6.4 percent, 7.7 percent, 6.2 percent and 5.1 percent respectively.
“Taichung had the lowest unemployment rate last year with 4.1 percent and the least debt per capita at NT$20,000, which is in stark contrast to Kaohsiung, which owed NT$90,000 per person,” he added.
Unemployment in the other four cities was 4.2 percent in each case, Lee said.
Lin Chieng-fu (林建甫), an economics professor at National Taiwan University and the forum’s convener, praised the development he said he has seen in Taichung.
Lin said that the standard the city looked to is no longer Taipei and Kaohsiung, but Hong Kong and Singapore.
“Hu has been in office for 13 years and some people are a bit tired of him and have become inured to his humor and global vision. These are factors that have lowered his approval rating and we want to defend him against the unjust bias,” Lin said.
Nieh Chien-chung (聶建中), a professor of banking and finance at Tamkang University, said that a change of leader might return the city to a “countryside city.”
“It would be a pity to change leader now as a lot of plans would be called off if a new government takes over,” said Hsu Chen-ming (許振明), an economics professor at National Taiwan University.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS