Newly appointed Vice Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) said in a meeting with the press last week that the nation should strive to raise the added value of seaport services, rather than fixing its eyes on the international competitiveness ranking of the seaports.
Yeh, a professor of business management at National Sun Yat-sen University, was the deputy minister of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission before he was appointed to the current position. He took office last week, replacing former vice minister of transportation and communications Oliver Yu (游芳來), now chairman of Chunghwa Post. Yeh said he was assigned to supervise the execution of the Airport Zone and Free Trade Ports Zone projects, adding that they were quite a challenge.
“When Minister Mao [Mao Chi-kuo,毛治國] asked me to take the post, I pointed out that I am not an expert in transportation,” Yeh said. “But he said he wanted someone who is not a transportation expert and is able to think outside the box.”
“The relevant regulations for the International Airport Zone are now in place, so now the focus should be to attract investment and turn it into a state-run competitive corporation,” he said.
As Kaohsiung Port has dropped out of the Top 10 international port ranking, Yeh said the nation needs to disentangle itself from the myth of ranking. Kaohsiung Port used to be the world’s third-largest in terms of container throughput volume. Its ranking fell to No. 12 last year.
“The ranking only showed that the industry in Taiwan is going through a transitional stage,” Yeh said. “The nation devoted a lot of resources to the manufacturing industry. Now we should increase the added value of our seaport services. That should be key.”
Regarding Kaohsiung Port officials who were indicted for inflating the container throughput volume, Yeh said the ministry would cooperate with the legal authorities on the matter.
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