President Chen Shui-bian received this afternoon a group of executives and directors of the mining industry who are acknowledged as outstanding, and said that a second Economic Development Advisory Conference will be held after the year-end elections to consolidate the consensus on the national development of Taiwan. The President also expressed his hope that the Chinese National Federation of Industries and all other associations to join the effort and make the conference a driving force for Taiwan's economic development.
Excerpts from the President's speech:
The government has done much work to ensure a sound development of industrial associations in Taiwan and a smooth communication between each of you and the Chinese National Federation of Industries. We put heavy emphasis on that so the government can collect all opinions as we formulate policies. You are the executives and directors who represent the interest of the mining industry. Your opinions about the industry have been highly appreciated and your communication with the government has been conducive to the policy-making of Taiwan. And you have kept our country competitive and vibrant in the world stage of international economy.
It's been over four years since the first Economic Development Advisory Conference was held, and over 99 percent of the decisions listed in our action plan during the meeting are now realities. And the indexes concerning the development of our economy indicate that Taiwan is moving upward with a steady pace. A second conference is now necessary to address the long-term, structural problems we've had over the past few years. After the city and county chief elections in December and the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections next year, we won't be having any major elections any more until the presidential election of 2008. So I regard the period after the year-end elections the best time for us to hold the conference again when all political parties divest themselves of the pressure to vie for votes and allow more room to discuss the country's economic matter. We should make the best use of this opportunity and lay the groundwork for Taiwan's sustainable development, and I believe this caters the interests of Taiwan's business groups. I have announced earlier that the second Economic Development Advisory Conference will be held after the elections this December so we can forge a consensus on the national development of Taiwan. I also hope that the Chinese National Federation of Industries and associations of all industries to join with us and make the conference a driving force for Taiwan's economic development.