President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen made the remarks at a New Year's gathering of Presidential Office staff on the first working day after the Lunar New Year holiday.
Saying that providing a better life for the people is the top goal of his administration for this year, as he promised in his Jan. 1 New Year's Day speech, Chen said he has confidence in realizing this mission.
PHOTO: CNA
Chen said he met with 20-plus top officials of ministries and government agencies to exchange views on major policy issues and the work agenda for the new year.
"The executive branch has a consensus on the direction we will take in the future," Chen said, adding that the government will prioritize economic development,
introduce comprehensive reforms, eradicate "black gold" politics and organized crime, accelerate educational reforms, promote tourism and attract investment.
Chen said he thinks that the international situation and relations across the Taiwan Strait will witness steady development.
"Of course, some uncertainties still lurk on both fronts. We are keeping close watch on developments and will cope with all possible changes with care and prudence," Chen said.
"Whatever changes or challenges there will be, we should not lose faith and confidence in our nation. With confidence and unity, we'll be able to overcome any difficulty and accomplish our goal," he added.
Noting that the start of a new year offers both new opportunities and new challenges, Chen said all members of the ruling team must work hard to boost national development and upgrade the nation's overall competitiveness in the global market.
With brisk exports in recent months, Chen said, the economy has gradually regained momentum. He said the government has also come up with a NT$50 billion project to expand public construction.
Once the project is approved by the Legislative Yuan, Chen said, the domestic demand will increase to help create new jobs and lower the jobless rate. The project is also expected to help stimulate private investment to further speed up domestic economic recovery, he added.
In contrast to Chen's upbeat mood, Vice President Annette Lu (
"The Year of the Goat may be eventful," Lu said at the party. "It will be full of challenges and turbulence. It may be a crunch time for either peace or war. It may be a time for a showdown between righteousness and evil."
Earlier, Chen presided over a swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed Secretary-General to the President Chiou I-jen (
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
RSS