Taipei, May 24 (CNA) Former Premier Vincent Siew's participation in the presidential economic advisory panel will be a boost to public morale, President Chen Shui-bian said Saturday in Kueishan, Taoyuan County.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the ground-breaking for the construction of a local computer company's research and development building, the president said severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has taken a heavy toll not only on the people's health and lives, but also on the nation's economy.
Chen said Siew took part in a meeting between the president and a group of business leaders and executives of think tanks yesterday in Taipei and gave a speech on how to revitalize the sagging economy after SARS subsides.
Participants of the meeting unanimously recommended Siew as the chief of the president's economic advisory panel which is responsible for relaying business leaders' view on economic policy to the president, Chen said.
Chen also revealed in his speech that his administration is planning to hold an international high-technology exposition in 2008 to attract investment from multinational high-tech firms.
After the exposition, the site of the event will be converted into offices for those international firms that choose to place Taiwan on their business maps.