The Executive Yuan yesterday passed a draft space development bill, which would provide a legislative basis for space-faring rocket launch sites and regulations for Taiwanese actions in space, marking the nation’s intent to boost space-related industries.
Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) made the announcement at a news conference after a regular Cabinet meeting, at which the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), which oversees the National Space Organization, presented the draft bill.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) had approved the third phase of the national space project when he took office in 2019, Li said, adding that the space industry is among the “six core strategic industries” touted by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Photo courtesy of the National Space Organization
Tsai singled out the space industry at a national security event on Wednesday, stating that government investment in the sector is building a rudimentary backbone for the industry, especially in the fields of rocket launches and satellite construction, Li said.
Taiwan’s leading position in semiconductor manufacturing, as well as its advantage in information technology and precision machinery manufacturing, lend it an edge in the development of a space industry, Su said at the meeting.
That Taiwan could make advances into space is no longer a dream, but a viable reality, Su said.
The proposed law would enable specific organizations and companies to promote space-related businesses, in addition to NT$25 billion (US$882.46 million) set aside for the national space project.
The MOST, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Ministry of National Defense should work together to develop the space industry sector so Taiwan would be capable of launching its own satellites into orbit, Su said.
The draft has detailed regulations on how launch sites are to be defined and what regulations they would have to abide by, as well as what fines and penalties companies would face for breaching the regulations.
The penalties and fines should adequately compensate for accidents that occur at such sites, the proposed law says.
Launch sites should be established with environmental protection and sustainable development principles in mind, and the bill has several clauses regarding launch site locations, including regulations for Aboriginal traditional land, the MOST said in a news release.
The government should seek private investment, and offer sufficient incentives to help companies collaborate with foreign nations and foster talent to build a healthy space industry, the bill says.
The nation is scheduled to launch a weather observation satellite named Triton next year, followed by the launch of the Formosat-8 constellation’s first satellite in 2023 and a second in 2024, as well as a low-orbit communications satellite named Beyond 5G in 2025, the MOST said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
RSS