Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said yesterday the government would soon lift a ban on high-tech industries setting up operations in China, saying regulations for the review and approval of applications were still being deliberated on by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).
“I recently had a briefing from the MOEA [on reviewing investment bans on China] and was in support of its suggestions [to ease restrictions], but we still need to work out a detailed plan, as well as rules for reviewing applications,” Wu said at a press conference mapping out his Cabinet’s policies for this year.
Refusing to go into details on whether the MOEA would allow panel makers to invest in China and chipmakers to operate more advanced fabs this month as Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) had said several weeks ago, Wu set out his position on the issue.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“The principles when handling the issue are simple. We will require that industries keep their ‘roots’ in Taiwan ... and we will allow industries to invest if they will lose their competitive edge [over foreign counterparts] should the restrictions remain,” Wu said.
Wu said the government would require industries to adopt more advanced technology locally than in their Chinese investment projects and have higher investment in Taiwan than in China.
Using the metaphor of a tree to represent his idea, Wu said: “It can’t be that the roots [in Taiwan] weigh 2kg, while the branches and leaves [in China] weigh 10kg.”
Wu said he hoped a consensus could be reached between the government and industry whereby the government allows firms to invest in China to enhance their competitiveness, while the firms would show more consideration for Taiwan.
“If we have a strong consensus on this and it is imperative [for them to expand in China], we will not keep their arms and legs tied,” Wu said.
Taiwanese companies can only invest in low-end packaging and testing facilities in China, while panel makers are prohibited from building factories.
On the government’s proposal to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, Wu said the government still hoped the deal could be signed by May, the planned date for the next round of cross-strait negotiations.
Formal negotiations between the two sides on the ECFA are set to begin on Jan. 20.
Officials will brief members of the legislature on the progress of the talks every month, including Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), caucus whips and the chairpersons of related legislative committees, Wu said.
Regarding the controversy on the relaxation of US beef imports, Wu said the issue has taught the administration a lesson that it has to “empathize with the people” when implementing policy decisions.
The government had assessed US beef based on the scientific standards of global organizations and secured better conditions than the South Koreans in the negotiations and had “assumed” that the Taiwan-US protocol would be supported by the public, Wu said.
Wu said the element the government failed to factor in, and which resulted in the controversy, was that the agreement was “not considerate of the feelings of the public.”
“Following that lesson, the government will use plain language when talking to the public about the ECFA,” Wu said.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
IDENTITY SHIFT: Asked to choose to identify as either Taiwanese or Chinese, 83.3 percent of respondents chose Taiwanese, while 8.4 percent chose Chinese An overwhelming majority of Taiwanese, 71.5 percent, think that Taiwan should compete in international competitions under the name “Taiwan,” a Taiwan Brain Trust survey published yesterday showed. Referring to Taiwan’s victory last month at the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12, the survey results showed that 89.1 percent of respondents said that Taiwan’s exceptional performance in sporting competitions furthers national unity. Only 18.8 percent of respondents supported Taiwanese teams’ continued use of the name “Chinese Taipei” in international sporting competitions, the survey showed. Among Taiwan’s leading political parties, the name “Team Taiwan” was supported by 91.1 percent of self-identified Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporters,