A new four-year National Development Plan approved by the Cabinet proposes to increase the semiconductor industry value by NT$2.06 trillion (US$63.8 billion), artificial intelligence (AI)-related industry by NT$1 trillion by next year, the surveillance and information security sector by NT$130 billion, and the satellite communications industry and the military drone manufacturing industry by NT$30 billion, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.
The plan aims to achieve 3 percent economic growth, a GDP per capita of US$40,000, an unemployment rate lower than 3.5 percent and stable consumer price growth of 2 percent.
Executive Yuan spokesman Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱), quoting Cho, said the National Development Council’s (NDC) plan would realize President William Lai’s (賴清德) vision for an innovative economy, balanced and inclusive growth.
Photo from Cho Jung-tai’s Facebook page
NDC Deputy Minister Kao Shien-quey (高仙桂) said the president instructed the council to invest NT$150 billion annually in start-ups by 2027.
In helping at least three disadvantaged industries increase their value by 1.5 times, the council targeted digital services and the machinery sectors to help increase values, adding that it had yet to determine which disadvantaged industry would be the third to receive aid.
The council plan seeks to ensure that the Gini coefficient — a measure of inequality where zero indicates complete equality of wealth and one indicates complete inequality — does not exceed 0.35, that the long-term healthcare services encompass 87 percent of the nation within four years, implement the 888 programs and achieve the standard 36 percent childcare services of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, Cho said.
The 888 project hopes to admit 80 percent of patients with the three hypers — hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia and hypertension — under care to ensure that 80 percent of those under care are acclimated to medical consultation and help the 80 percent of hypers patients control their conditions, Cho said.
In addition, Chen said that northern Taiwan has difficulty in generating adequate energy and developing new energy sources.
Last year, northern Taiwan consumed 93 terawatt-hours (TWh) but only generated 75TWh, a power deficit of 20TWh, which had to be supplied by power generated from southern Taiwan, Chen added.
He said a Taiwan Power Co (台電) policy to cap electricity supply to data centers in northern Taiwan to encourage them to move south seeks to help address the issue of energy generated in the south being used in the north.
Chen urged the public to support plans for the Concord Power Plant, which would provide power for 4.8 million people.
Separately, the Executive Yuan also passed the revised rental subsidy program, extending subsidies to 2026 and increasing eligible households from 500,000 to 750,000.
Amended laws forbid landlords from hiking rental prices during the contract, and the landlord’s personal information is no longer required for tenants to apply for subsidies, National Construction and Planning Agency Director-General Wu Hsin-hsiu (吳欣修) said.
Meanwhile, an advisory panel including some of the nation’s top athletes would be formed next month as the government prepares to create a ministry for sports development, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday.
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