Vice President Annette Lu spoke at the "2006 US-Taiwan Medical Device Technology and Commercialization Conference" on June 1 in Taipei. In her speech, she strongly emphasized that nature and ecology should not be sacrificed while we are pursuing a better living standard.
The revenue of Taiwan's medical technology industry has grown rapidly over the past few years. For example, the research and development (R&D) production value of 2004 reached US$1.6 billion, increasing by 24 percent when compared with that of 2003. The vice president said that the value is expected to reach US$6 billion by the year of 2011.
In recent years, the outsourcing of the industry's R&D base has caused impacts on domestic traditional medical equipment producers. To offset the effect, the government aims to help the industry further increase its high added value in order to offer these traditional producers incentives to explore new business opportunities, said the vice president.
In conclusion, the vice president called on the general public to maintain a balance between technology and ecology, development and environment. Lastly, she wished the conference great success.