Taipei, Jan 9 (CNA) Vice President Annette Lu called on local business and industrial circles Thursday to redouble their efforts to carry out R&D projects in order to promote domestic innovation, or what she called "Invention in Taiwan (IIT)."
Lu made the appeal while addressing an annual meeting of the Taiwan Industrial Technology Association (TITA) in Taipei. President Chen Shui-bian also extended a congratulatory message to the meeting, which was attended by over 100 TITA members.
While facing the rising impact from the international trend toward globalization, local manufacturers should not continue to be proud of the "Made in Taiwan (MIT) " slogan anymore, but should intensify their IIT efforts in order that Taiwan can become the leading country in the R&D field, Lu said.
Touching on the rush to invest in mainland China, Lu said that Taiwanese manufacturers should think twice before carrying out investment projects there, although their investment would generate trade surplus in favor of Taiwan.
If manufacturers continue to pour their investments into the mainland, Taiwan will eventually be sinicized, Lu claimed. She warned that sinicization would cause a huge crisis for the country, as Beijing has deployed 450 missiles targeting the island. She did not elaborate.
To survive the increasingly fierce international competition, Lu said, Taiwan's industries should intensify their R&D projects to develop high value-added products and promote global marketing.
She also urged the business community to keep their operations, hearts and profits in Taiwan and join hands with the government to build the island into a global logistics and management center.