Taipei, June 10 (CNA) Taiwan's sagging economy has turned around and is set to take off again, President Chen Shui-bian said Monday.
Receiving a group of engineers, Chen said the economy registered growth of 0.89 percent in the first quarter after posting negative growth for nine consecutive months.
Citing a forecast by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Chen said the growth rate is expected to rise further later in the year, pushing the growth rate to 2.55 percent or more for the whole year.
He said the growth rate will speed up further as his administration is pumping NT$2.6 trillion (US$76.47 billion) over six years into the national development and closely integrating the country's economy into that of the rest of the world.