The industrial transformation of southern Taiwan hinges on smart technology, Vice President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that digital innovation could enhance the value of traditional heavy industries.
“Kaohsiung is known as the city of heavy industries in Taiwan, with petrochemicals being one of them. With the aid of digital technology, we can upgrade the industrial chain, which would benefit the residents of southern Taiwan,” Lai said at the National Competitiveness in Digitization — Talent Circulation Alliance in Kaohsiung.
The event was organized by the Digital Information and Governance Innovation Association of the Legislative Yuan (DIGIA-LY), the American Institute in Taiwan and the Ministry of Economic Affairs to highlight industrial innovation.
Photo: CNA
New and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, big data analysis, blockchain and Industry 4.0 are areas that can help transform and add more value to the city’s industries, Lai said.
Hopefully, the event can help nurture more talent in southern Taiwan and narrow the rural-urban gap in human resources, he added.
The Talent Circulation Alliance was established in April last year by the AIT in conjunction with several ministries and government agencies to transform Taiwan into a hub for international talent, said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), who also heads the DIGIA-LY.
The government and the AIT also released a Talent Circulation Alliance White Paper last month at a ceremony attended by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Liu added.
Former vice premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said that Taiwan should allocate more resources to the development of 5G and artificial intelligence of things (AIoT), and facilitate more cooperation between Taiwanese and foreign talent.
If elected as Kaohsiung mayor, Chen, who is representing the Democratic Progressive Party in the Aug. 15 by-election, said that he plans to set up a committee dedicated to the promotion of the digital economy, and use smart technology to upgrade transportation in the city’s remote areas.
Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said the county has incorporated big data analysis into the fields of transportation and agriculture.
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) talked about the importance of promoting digital awareness, citing data showing that only about 16 percent of the Triple Stimulus Vouchers claimed were in digital form, which means more expenditure on printing.
Asked whether he would stump for Chen in his campaign rallies, Lai said that arrangements have yet to be made.
Additional reporting by CNA
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
Temperatures in some parts of Taiwan are expected to fall sharply to lows of 15°C later this week as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthen, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. It is to be the strongest cold wave to affect northern Taiwan this autumn, while Chiayi County in the southwest and some parts of central Taiwan are likely to also see lower temperatures due to radiational cooling, which occurs under conditions of clear skies, light winds and dry weather, the CWA said. Across Taiwan, temperatures are to fall gradually this week, dropping to 15°C to 16°C in the early hours of Wednesday