CNFI 80th Anniversary — Cho Jung-tai: Seizing Global Opportunities
Premier Cho Jung-tai said on the 11th while attending the nationwide Chinese National Federation of Industries' 80th Industrial Day celebration that Taiwan today is in the best era of the Chinese Republic. He noted that Taiwan developed from an agricultural society to the industrial age, then advanced from export processing zones to science parks and various industrial parks, gradually completing its economic structural transformation. Now, driven by high-tech industries, Taiwan has seized the precious opportunities brought by global development, and thanks to the joint efforts of all industries and professions, created the current economic results. He stressed that in the future, a balanced Taiwan will be an important governance goal, so that the fruits of economic growth are shared by all.
Dividing Economic Gains for Sharing, Promoting Strategic Industries and SME Transition
Cho Jung-tai noted that although Taiwan's high-tech industry already ranks among the world's leaders, global artificial intelligence development is still in its early stages and there is still a long road ahead. The government will not be complacent about current achievements, but will divide the fruits of economic growth so that people nationwide and all industries and trades can evenly share in the growth. The government will continue to promote the 5 trusted industries, the AI New Ten Major Constructions, and 13 national strategic industries, covering quantum, silicon photonics, robotics, urban renewal, cultural and creative industries, and biotechnology. It will also help small and micro enterprises obtain green electricity and computing resources, and through the SME Transition and Upgrading Development Act already submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review, provide financial support, tax incentives, talent training and R&D resources, expected to cover 1.71 million enterprises and nearly 10 million employed people.
Pearl-Necklace Plan to Strengthen Water and Power, Addressing Manpower and CPC/Taipower Finances
On infrastructure, Cho Jung-tai said the government will link reservoirs and rivers across Taiwan through the Pearl-Necklace Plan, planning 16 interconnection pipelines to improve cross-regional water supply dispatch capacity. On electricity, 25 natural gas units will be replaced and upgraded over the next 10 years, while developing diverse green energy and strengthening grid resilience. The Ministry of Labor has also proposed a cross-border workforce improvement plan, setting up dedicated units in migrant-worker source countries to recruit manpower, and granting additional migrant-worker hiring quotas to companies that raise wages for grassroots local workers, so as to meet industry manpower needs while protecting local workers' pay. In addition, he called on the legislature to support financial assistance for CPC and Taipower, stressing that the two companies have long absorbed policy-driven costs and must strengthen their financial structures to enhance international procurement competitiveness and further stabilize the domestic livelihood economy.
Kung Ming-hsin: Growth Rate Challenging 12.7%, Traditional Industries Rebounding
Economics Minister Kung Ming-hsin said in his remarks that this year's economic growth rate is expected to exceed 12%, and may even surpass the 12.7% recorded in 1987, setting a 39-year high. The economic growth rate for the first 3 quarters reached 14.22%. In addition to AI and high-tech industries, traditional industry exports have also grown markedly since September, with machinery exports growing by more than 30% and petrochemical and other industry exports posting double-digit growth, showing that various industries are gradually benefiting from international market opportunities. He noted that since the Ministry of Economic Affairs established the industrial competitiveness counseling group in October last year, it has helped nearly 15,000 manufacturers adopt AI, and in December it expects to showcase 100 model cases of AI adoption as references for other companies' transformation.