Tainan, Nov. 16 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian praised the achievements made by the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park (TSIP) in promoting high-technology development, saying it has become a major stronghold for the government to build Taiwan into a "green silicon island."
Chen made the remarks while speaking at the inauguration ceremony for a new TSIP road leading to the north-south freeway.
The president said that each time he has inspected the TSIP, he saw impressive progress made by the industrial facility in southern Taiwan.
Noting that the government has invested more than NT$24 billion (US$712 million) in various construction projects for the industrial park, Chen said that with concerted efforts by the government and the manufacturing sector, TSIP-based companies have recorded stable growth in their business revenues.
Chen noted that the TSIP's combined turnover is forecast to hit NT$150 billion this year while the number of employees in the industrial facility has risen from 4,000 in May 2000 to the current 20,000, with the annual growth of jobs created by the park averaging 4,500 during the period.
The chief of state said that since 2000, more and more domestic semiconductor and electro-optical firms, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. and United Microelectronics Corp., have set up plants in the TSIP, thus making the industrial park an industrial cluster in Taiwan.