Taipei, Nov. 29 (CNA) The presidential candidate of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) unveiled his economic platform at a luncheon Thursday to foreign chambers of commerce, reiterating his determination to place the economy at the top of his priorities list and pursue more open trade relations with China.
Ma Ying-jeou, who announced his economic policy earlier in the day along with his running mate, Vincent Siew, explained in detail the "i-Taiwan 12 Projects" and future economic plan for the country to hundreds of foreign businessmen.
The proposed projects cover transportation, industrial development, human resources and quality of living. Among them are a mass rapid transit network throughout Taiwan, industrial innovation corridors along the West coast, turning Kaohsiung into a freeport and making Taichung a sea and air logistics center.
According to Ma, the scheme will require investment of NT$125 billion (US$3.87 billion) in the public and private sectors and will create jobs. Increasing public investment to boost the economy was a measure taken by the Taiwan authorities during the first oil crisis in the 1970s and he will take the same approach and launch full-scale regulatory reforms, Ma said.
The former KMT chairman pledged that he will neither discuss the issue of unification or independence nor pursue Taiwan independence if he is elected president, adding that "no unification, no independence, no military action" and closer trade relations with China will be the cornerstones of his economic policy.
The European Chamber of Commerce (ECCT) later responded to Ma's speech in a press release, saying that while it recognizes that Ma touched upon several issues raised in the ECCT's recently released annual Position Papers, he failed to address the ECCT's recommendations regarding taxation.
Ma, who also described himself as a "pragmatic idealist, " reiterated his approach of "flexible diplomacy" and spent time questioning the competency and integrity of the current administration.
"The Chen administration during the last seven years has been creating political controversies and managing the country with unstable government personnel and policies, " Ma claimed, adding that Taiwan has been losing its competitive edge not because of its people but because of the government.
The luncheon was co-hosted by the ECCT, the American Chamber of Commerce and the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce.