Vice-president Annette Lu (
Lu made the comments while welcoming 28 high-ranking managers and development experts from seven countries in Central and South America to a one-month workshop in finance and economics, in which they will study Taiwan's development model.
In March, Lu led a group of professionals from government, business and academic circles to El Salvador to observe that country's economic development.
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
After the trip, Lu initiated a collaborative project, the "Taiwan Park in El Salvador," which is designed to attract Taiwanese investment to the Central American country and support the growth of a range of industries, including textiles, shoemaking, toolmaking, food-processing, automotive parts and household appliances.
The park will offer incentives for foreign investment, and will provide an opportunity for El Salvador to learn from Taiwan's economic and technical experience.
Lu said that a Cabinet-level taskforce has been established for the project in a bid to ensure the park's completion within three years. El Salvador has agreed to let Taiwan use 114 hectares of land in Comalapa to build and operate the park for 50 years.
The park will be the first of its kind in Central and South America, whose markets have been targeted by Taiwan as investment destinations that could reduce the country's dependence on the China market, Lu said.
Lu said that the park is only the beginning of Taiwan's strengthening of ties with countries in Latin America. She said that Taiwan will do its best to transfer its experience in economic development to them and promote investment in their countries.
"We hope to see more `Taiwan Parks' in your countries," Lu told the visitors.
Lu cited a recent trade deal between the US and Central American countries -- and a possible larger deal in the future -- which should boost markets in the region and so indirectly benefit Taiwan.
Six of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Central America and the Caribbean (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic) recently signed a free-trade agreement with the US. The Central American-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA-DR, provides for tariff-free trade between the countries.
Meanwhile, negotiations over the more ambitious Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement remain. In the future, countries from North to South America may form an economic bloc having a massive market of 854 million people.
Legislators who attended the meeting said that China, whose rising market is now a magnet for worldwide investment, does not have a monopoly on economic opportunities.
"Taiwan is aware that potential markets in Central and South America are good places for Taiwan to disperse economic risk," People First Party (PFP) Legislator Christina Liu (
Lu said that the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU), which will be established on Aug. 13 to promote democracy, peace and prosperity among Pacific Rim nations, will support international collaboration on similar projects.
Huang Wen-hsiung (
"Decades ago, we also went to advanced countries to learn how to design and operate a science park. Now, Hsinchu Science Park has been ranked one of the best of its kind in the world," Huang said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A pro-Russia hacker group has launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the Taiwanese government in retaliation for President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments suggesting that China should have a territorial dispute with Russia, an information security company said today. The hacker group, NoName057, recently launched an HTTPs flood attack called “DDoSia” targeting Taiwanese government and financial units, Radware told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). Local tax bureaus in New Taipei City, Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan were mentioned by the hackers. Only the Hsinchu Local Tax Bureau site appeared to be down earlier in the day, but was back
RSS