Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday at the first Cabinet meeting of the year declared his New Year’s resolutions for the government: strengthening economic development and public security while safeguarding the constitutional order and people’s rights.
Economic development and public security have been a focus of the government since it entered office on May 20 last year, and the economic growth rate for last year is expected to reach 4.7 percent, Cho said.
On Tuesday, the TAIEX closed at 23,035.10, up 5,105 points for the year, while the stock market’s capitalization grew to more than NT$80 trillion (US$2.44 trillion), marking the biggest surge of the past 25 years, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
While the domestic economy and stock market are booming, the government would continue to promote equitable distribution of wealth to share the economic fruits with all people, Cho said.
It would also endeavor to stabilize prices, promote urban redevelopment, and combat narcotics and fraud, as well as carry out a second energy transition to provide a safe, stable power supply for industries, he said.
It has granted salary raises for military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers, with the expectation that this would set an example for the private sector while promoting pay transparency, Cho said, adding that the government would improve the workplace culture of the civil service by establishing a safe, friendly and peaceful work environment.
The Executive Yuan’s Council for Economic Planning and Development has approved several schemes to boost national competitiveness, including the “Trillion NT Dollar Investment National Development Plan” and a scheme to fund digital and net zero transitions of micro-companies and small and medium-sized enterprises, he said.
The third phase of its regulatory goals for greenhouse gas emissions would be implemented this year, Cho said, thanking academics for their advice and industries for their cooperation.
The government would continue to step up the Long-term Care 3.0 program by integrating resources from families, medical institutions and social welfare units, he said.
In terms of external policies, the government expects to cooperate more closely with democratic partners, as well as develop new forms of Taiwan-US economic collaboration, he said.
The Executive Yuan would set up a task force similar to the Presidential Office’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee to promote cross-strait exchanges, with a focus on mutual respect and sustainable development, Cho said.
The government is responsible for bolstering national defense and self-defense capabilities, he said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS