Taichung, Taiwan, June 25 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Wednesday he hopes the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan can hold an extraordinary session as soon as possible to screen six critical economic and financial bills.
Chen made the call during an inspection tour of the Taichung Harbor Bureau and a port expansion project in central Taiwan.
Chen said the six bills, including those which are designed for the establishment of free trade port zones and the relaxation of restrictions on commercial and civilian exchanges with mainland China, are crucial to Taiwan's sustainable economic development and financial reforms.
Noting that the failure of the six bills to clear the legislative floor in the last legislative session has dealt a severe blow to his administration's drive to speed up economic recovery and banking reform, Chen said it is his earnest hope that the legislature can hold an extra session soon to screen the six statutory packages to prop up Taiwan's competitiveness in the world market.
Chen said the outbreak of serve acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has affected economic activities in Taiwan and other countries and areas in East Asia.
With the disease no longer making such an impact, Chen said his administration has worked out a NT$50 billion stimulus package to rev up the flagging economy and minimize the SARS fallout.
In the post-SARS era, Chen said, the government will boost public investment and continue developing Taiwan into a regional business hub in the Asia-Pacific region.
Starting next year, Chen said, the government will increase public investment in infrastructure construction in three years by NT$300 billion to bolster domestic economic development.
Among the new public investment projects will be expanding hardware and software construction at Taichung port, which will eventually help fuel development in central Taiwan, Chen added.