Taiwan is willing to be in step with the world by considering new methods of nuclear energy generation and to discuss alternative approaches to provide more stable power generation and help support industries, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.
The government would continue to develop diverse and green energy solutions, which include considering advances in nuclear energy generation, he added.
Cho’s remarks echoed President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments in an interview last month, saying the government is not precluding “advanced and newer nuclear power generation” if it is proven to be safer and the issue of nuclear waste is resolved.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Lai’s comment had been speculated to be a shift in the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) “nuclear-free homeland” policy — a core tenet enshrined within the party’s charter.
Taiwan became the first nuclear-free nation in East Asia after its last operating nuclear reactor was shut down on May 17.
In a report to the DPP’s national congress in Taipei yesterday, Cho said that legal support, nuclear safety, nuclear waste disposal and public support are the prerequisites for the party to consider using traditional nuclear power generation.
In terms of industrial development, Cho said the government continues to promote semiconductor, artificial intelligence, national security, security control and next-generation communications industries, which are part of the government’s Five Trusted Industry Sectors policy.
The government’s six regional industry policies would be realized through 150 infrastructure projects, changing the nation for the better, he said.
The same infrastructure projects would expedite the modernization of Taiwan’s urban landscape, and increase domestic consumption and demand, he added.
The government is stimulating tourism by encouraging the hosting of conferences, concerts and international sports events, which would also increase domestic consumption, Cho said.
Other major projects ahead include an increase in infrastructure and public construction, a continuous push for social housing, long-term healthcare, the four-year Trillion New Taiwan Dollar Investment National Development Plan and the creation of the Asia Asset Management Center project, he said.
CLOSURES: Several forest recreation areas have been closed as a precaution, while some ferry and flight services have been suspended or rescheduled A land warning for Tropical Storm Danas was issued last night at 8:30pm, as the storm’s outer bands began bringing heavy rain to southeastern regions, including Hualien and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). As of 9:15pm, the storm was approximately 330km west-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, moving north-northeast at 10-20kph, the CWA reported. A sea warning had already been issued at 8:30am yesterday. The storm had maximum sustained winds near its center of 83kph, with gusts of up to 108kph, according to the CWA. As of 9:30pm last night, Kaohsiung, Tainan,
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UNILATERAL: The move from China’s aviation authority comes despite a previous 2015 agreement that any changes to flight paths would be done by consensus The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday slammed Beijing for arbitrarily opening the M503 flight route’s W121 connecting path, saying that such unilateral conduct disrespected the consensus between both sides and could destabilize the Taiwan Strait and the wider region. The condemnation came after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) earlier yesterday announced it “has activated the W121 connecting path of the M503 flight route,” meaning that west-to-east flights are now permitted along the path. The newly activated west-to-east route is intended to “alleviate the pressure caused by the increase of flights,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency quoted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
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