Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said he would place a priority on political stability if he were elected president, Singapore's Straits Times reported yesterday.
Hsieh made the remarks while being interviewed by the English-language newspaper during his visit to Singapore on Aug. 12.
In the interview titled "Hsieh's dream of a stable Taiwan with quality of life," Hsieh elaborated on what his priorities would be if he were to win the presidential election next March.
If elected, Hsieh said he would seek to swiftly forge peace across the Taiwan Strait and build unity within Taiwan, while taking measures to step up diplomatic allies' trust and support of Taiwan.
With a stable political environment, Taiwan's economy could expand and social confrontations could be reduced, he said, adding that his one big dream was to turn the nation into the best ethnic Chinese community in the world.
Hsieh also said that he was willing to form a coalition government if the DPP failed to grab more than half of the seats in the legislature in January's legislative elections.
PRECONDITIONS
Cross-strait negotiations do not mean that Taiwan will necessarily surrender to China or that Taiwan accepts China's preconditions, Hsieh said, adding that the two sides should not attach too many prerequisites to bilateral talks.
Hsieh said he favored wider Taiwan-China economic exchanges so long as Taiwan's sovereignty remained fully secure, the Straits Times said.
Hsieh also said he agreed with allowing more Chinese investment and tourists to enter Taiwan, as well as with the establishment of direct shipping and air links between the two sides to help slash business costs.
Hsieh said the nation should continue expanding its economy by taking advantage of its sound high-tech industry, adding that the government should continue to assist small enterprises in merging or retaining their core operations in Taiwan.
BRANCHING OUT
Although the branching out of small companies into overseas manufacturing has not had a major impact on Taiwan's economy as a whole, he said, such relocations have had a negative effect on the creation of new jobs.
Hsieh voiced concern that while the nation's GDP has continued to increase every year, its jobless rate has also risen.
To offset the loss of jobs brought on by the exodus of labor-intensive traditional businesses, he suggested that the service sector be promoted to help create new jobs.
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