With the one-year anniversary of her presidency around the corner, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is gearing up to meet with representatives from various government agencies to evaluate the progress of her reform plans and major policies.
According to a high-level Presidential Office official speaking on condition of anonymity, Tsai has been closely watching the execution of her policies and plans to make the results public before May 20 to raise awareness of the government’s efforts.
She is giving particular attention to the “new southbound policy” and an economy-boosting program to develop the “five plus two” industries, which includes an “Asian Silicon Valley,” “intelligent” machinery, “green” energy technology, biomedicine and national defense, plus the establishment of a new agricultural paradigm and a circular economy, the official said.
The government’s ongoing campaign against drugs is another major focus of Tsai’s, the official said, adding that both the president and Premier Lin Chuan (林全) have heard reports about progress on the issue and have instructed government agencies to make changes.
As for the administration’s reform plans, pension reform is in the “wrapping-up phase” as the proposals for public servants, public-school teachers and private-sector workers are to be deliberated in the legislature.
The official said the government’s bottom line is to see relevant draft amendments clear the legislative floor during the current legislative session.
In the meantime, Lin has been briefed on the latest developments in the government’s plans to build more social housing, promote urban renewal projects and establish a more comprehensive long-term care program, with results to be publicized soon by the Executive Yuan, the official said.
The official said that the Ministry of the Interior has projected that a total of 88,000 social housing units could be provided by 2020, which is 8,000 units more than the initial plan.
A plenary Cabinet meeting has been organized for Thursday to discuss two elements of the “five plus two” industries program: the development of an Asian Silicon Valley and “green” energy technology.
During the meeting, the National Development Council is to deliver a more concrete plan for the Asian Silicon Valley project that is expected to focus on six aspects, the official said.
The first aspect is mobile and digital life, which seeks to facilitate mobile wallet technology for most areas of daily life through intergovernmental integration efforts, while the second focuses on applications of artificial intelligence, aimed at developing robot-based voice service and financial management.
Other aspects include Internet information security, self-driving vehicles, applications of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, and information sharing with Asian nations.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of