The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a plan to develop Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli County into a powerhouse for technology in a step toward implementing a key part of president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) platform.
This project — dubbed the “Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli great Silicon Valley plan” with an emphasis on integrated utilities and infrastructure — would receive NT$20 billion (US$634.54 million) from this year’s budget should lawmakers sign off on the appropriation.
The initiative is to go to the Legislative Yuan for debate.
Photo: Liao Hsueh-ju, Taipei Times
The proposed industrial zone is hoped to create 140,000 jobs and add NT$6 trillion to the economy, National Development Council Deputy Minister Kao Shien-quey (高仙桂) told a news conference.
The project’s cost cannot be accurately estimated at this time, as its medium and long-term costs remain unknown, Kao said.
The development of a national semiconductor industry is an issue of strategic importance, he said, citing foreign efforts to build tech clusters in Arizona, Japan’s Kyushu and Seoul.
The design of the planned industrial zone would emphasize domestic innovation in tech, creating a skilled workforce in the region and the infrastructure necessary for the sector’s development, Kao said.
Electricity and water supplies, transportation and communication capacities, healthcare, homes, schools and proper utilization of renewable energy are some of the issues the project needs to address, he said.
Water supplies for the zone would likely be drawn from New Taipei City’s Sanchong (三重) and Lujhou (蘆洲) districts, Taoyuan’s Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) and water reclamation plants, he said.
Solar and offshore wind farms, energy-storage systems, smart grid solutions, grid resilience improvements and reserves provided by dual-circuit power supplies would ensure a stable supply of energy, he said.
The planned Sinmeilung (新梅龍) and Banlong (板龍) highways in conjunction with expansions of light rail systems in Taoyuan and Hsinchu would ease traffic, while affordable housing and improved waste management in the zone would improve livability and sustainability, he said.
The Hsinchu Science Park would receive 1,605 hectares of additional land, he added.
Separately, the National Development Council proposed a four-year project dubbed the “Asian Silicon Valley 3.0 plan” with a first-year budget of NT$11.7 billion.
The Asian Silicon Valley plan would boost investment in innovative technologies, including 5G Internet, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, to enable Taiwanese solutions to access foreign markets, council officials said.
The two “Silicon Valley” plans are mutually supportive plans that are part of the government’s core strategic industries, sustainability and innovation policies, they said.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS