The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) dismissed an allegation over the weekend that its decision not to hold an administrative hearing on a controversial plan to build the country’s eighth naphtha cracker on coastal wetlands in central Taiwan was illegal.
The private investment project initiated by Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co (KPTC) does not require approval from the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Industrial Development Bureau, bureau director-general Woody Duh (杜紫軍) said in a telephone interview.
“Since no approval is required, there is no need for the ministry to hold an administrative hearing,” he said.
His remarks came one day after a professor demanded that the ministry hold an administrative hearing on the investment project in line with the Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法).
More than 1,200 university professors and academics have expressed opposition to the project and on Aug. 3 released a joint petition stating their objections. They vowed to demonstrate next month if the ministry fails to organize an -administrative hearing.
The ministry said that it organized a public hearing on the environmental impact of the project in February in Changhua County, where the plant is to be located.
The Environmental Protection Administration is now conducting an assessment of the environmental impact of the proposed plant, it said. KPTC, a joint venture by the state-owned oil refinery CPC Corp, Taiwan and several private companies, plans to invest up to NT$400 billion (US$12.66 billion) to construct a 4,000-hectare petrochemical complex on Changhua County’s coastal wetlands near the estuary of the Jhuoshui River (濁水溪).
Environmentalists strongly oppose the project, saying that it will hurt the area’s ecosystem, which includes migratory birds, fiddler crabs, mudskippers, mud shrimps and the almost-extinct Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.
The ministry said the project is would generate revenue of about NT$460 billion and create 18,000 jobs directly and 357,000 jobs indirectly. The bureau said it supports the establishment of the plant to replace the aging fifth naphtha cracker on environmental grounds.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS