To build Taichung harbor and central Taiwan into a special economic and trading zone, similar to Hong-Kong, is not part of the government's 921 reconstruction scheme, according the Council of Economic Planning and Develop-ment (CEPD).
The chairman of the cabinet-level council, Chiang Ping-kuen (
Rumors of a special zone plan floated shortly after Chiang gave an interview to the Taipei-based radio station UFO. A press release from the station said Chiang was considering such a plan. However, the CEPD chairman denied making such a statement late yesterday evening.
Chiang said the CEPD has been working on a plan for several years to turn central Taiwan into a special cross-strait trade zone, in an attempt to usurp the role Hong-Kong has played in such trade.
"For example, the CEPD has been working on the relevant legal regulations (
The idea would involve incorporating Taichung harbor and the local manufacturing and service industries into a special free-trade zone that the international and local business community could use, thereby saving the costs of routing their cross-strait trade through Hong Kong or other third-country ports.
However, Chiang said that post-earthquake reconstruction in the central area has more to do with city renewal than building a special zone.
Although reconstruction requires long-term effort, "To revive local industry, it is essential for the government to restore public infrastructure in the short-term," Chiang said.
"Providing incentives such as low interest rates to encourage investment can also help the local industries rebuild."
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