The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) will await the final result of an environmental impact assessment before deciding whether to change the site of the controversial Kuokuang Petrochemical Park, Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) said yesterday.
Shih said the site of the proposed park has been changed a number of times, with the location last shifted from Yunlin County to Changhua County, based on a proposal by the Changhua County Government.
Before that, the ministry had also considered Pingtung and Kaohsiung counties as possible sites, the minister said during a hearing held by the legislature’s Economics Committee on the project.
The project involves building the country’s eighth naphtha cracker on a plot of tidal land in Changhua County’s Dacheng Township (大城) area.
Environmentalists strongly oppose the plan, arguing that the facility would cause irreversible damage to local environment and threaten the livelihoods of local farmers and fishermen.
Also at the legislative hearing, Taiwan Environmental Protection Union Changhua Division director Tsai Chia-yang (蔡嘉陽) called it a “mistake” to try to build a petrochemical park at one of the country’s most important -agricultural and fisheries capitals.
The designated site is also home to a major wetland of great conservation value, Tsai said.
Addressing these concerns, Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) said his council would demand that comprehensive assessments be made before construction begins to minimize its impact on the agricultural and fishing sectors.
On concerns that underground water might be extracted for use at the future petrochemical park, which could lead to land subsidence, Shih said the park would not do so because underground water is insufficient to meet the high demand for water parks.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
RSS