Taiwan President-Elect Lists 12 Infrastructure Projects Top Priority on Economic Boost Agenda

Taipei, March 24, 2008 (CENS)--President-elect Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan said he will make the 12 major infrastructure-construction projects he pledged as an economic stimulant during the Presidential campaign his top priority work to push as soon as he is worn into the office.

Ma, who represented the opposition Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, to run for the Republic of China Presidency, said that Taiwan's current economic difficulty is its anemic domestic demands and his government will stimulate the demands by increasing government investments in public-work projects.

He committed his government will invest in infrastructure projects at annual increase rate of 10% and pump NT$3.99 trillion (US$128 billion at US$1:NT$31) over eight years into the 12 major infrastructure projects to drive up the island's economy.

The projects include islandwide rapid-transportation networks, a free trade and ecological Kaohsiung Harbor, developing Taichung into an Asia-Pacific operation hub, expanding the Taoyuan International Airport and equipping the airport with convenient transportation networks linking to neighbor areas, and setting up an islandwide broadband wireless network.

The islandwide rapid-transportation networks will call for investment capital totaling around NT$1.45 trillion (US$46 billion) on rapid-transportation networks in urban areas in northern, central and southern Taiwan; elevated or underground railways in urban areas in northern, central and southern Taiwan; railway electrifications and dual-track railway systems of eastern Taiwan, and several sub programs.

For Kaohsiung Harbor, Ma's government will build a continental shipping-container center, an ecological park and an oceanic cultural and technology center as well as expand the logistics facilities at the Kaohsiung International Airport.

For the Taichung operation hub, the project will outline investments in a transportation connection among the Taichung Harbor, the Taichung Airport, the Central Taiwan Science Park and an off-shore claimed industrial park on coast along Changhwa county.

Ma projects the 12 projects to create 120,000 jobs every year. His economic plan aims to boost Taiwan's GDP growth by at least 6% annually, bring down unemployment rate to barely 3% and increase income per capita to US$30,000 by 2016.