NORTHERN TAIWAN CITIES EXPERIMENT WITH REGIONAL COLLABORATION

Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) An organization of eight northern Taiwan cities is pursuing greater development through regional cooperation and initiated a dialogue with cross-strait counterparts in a forum Tuesday.

Led by Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, the Northern Taiwan Development Commission (NTDC) held two panel discussions on metropolis integration with representatives from the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Nanking and Suzou.

The NTDC was initiated by Taipei City in 1998, established in 2004 and consists of Taipei City, Taipei County, Keelung City, Taoyuan County, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, Miaoli County and Yilan County.

"Facing the competition of globalization, no city can afford to think about itself only. Only an integrated metropolitan economy will be able to embrace the challenges of the future," Ma said.

The discussions reviewed cases surrounding the integration of China's Yangtze River Delta, which comprises 16 cities, and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) in the U.S. state of California.

The Yangtze River Delta integration began in 1996 with 15 cities and later expanded to 16, said Lin Xiang, director of Shanghai's Office for Cooperation and Exchange Affairs.

After 10 years of hard work, the region -- which takes up one percent of China's territory and six percent of its population -- now accounts for a quarter of annual national revenues and is one of China's fastest growing regions, Lin added.

The NTDC hopes for similar results through regional collaboration and believes Northern Taiwan is capable of achieving that goal.

Northern Taiwan has become the most important region in the nation, Ma said, noting it boasts global marketshares of more than 70 percent of laptop computers and more than 30 percent of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels.

ANNUAL IT MONTH TO FOCUS ON DIGITAL HOME

Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) The annual Information Technology Month (IT Month) will be in Taipei Dec. 2-10 on the first of four stops around Taiwan, organizers said Monday.

Cheap computers and accessories probably come to mind when average consumers think about IT Month -- one of Taiwan's largest IT-related events -- but there's more to it than that this year, organizers said.

In addition to computers and electronic gadgets, the event will focus on the theme of "Embrace the digital life," displaying all the latest technology and hardware that will shape the future "digital home," and held in Exhibition Hall I and III of the Taipei World Trade Center.

The month-long fair, which last year registered more than 720,000 visitors in Taipei alone, will then go south for shows in Taichung Dec. 15-20, Tainan Dec. 28-Jan. 2 and Kaohsiung Jan. 11-16, 2007.

Various technologies, such as 64-bit dual core computing and global positioning system (GPS) applications -- as well as the latest mobile phones and mobile computer trends -- will be showcased in a Digital Life theme pavilion to give a glimpse of what the future digital home will be like.

While away from home, people will be able to monitor almost every piece of household electronic equipment with mobile phones and enjoy a home multimedia center featuring high-definition audio and video, organizers said in the preview of the fair.

A new type of "mobile computer," which is similiar to the combination of a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) and a laptop computer, is also expected to be one of the future "killer applications," organizers said.

IT Month was organized by the IT Month Event Committee, which consists of computer associations throughout Taiwan.

IT MONTH TO FEATURE EXHIBITION ON E-GOVERNMENT EFFORTS

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) An exhibition that is part of the upcoming Information Technology Month (IT month) will showcase Taiwan's achievements in an e-Government campaign, organizers said Monday.

In addition to hundreds of IT company booths, a special exhibition area will also feature the work of more than ten government agencies, as part of the e-Government campaign initiated ten years ago by the Executive Yuan's Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission.

In global rankings, Taiwan has been doing quite well in the past three years. In a global e-Government performance survey conducted on 198 countries by Brown University in the United States, Taiwan ranked No.1, No.1 and No.2 respectively in 2004-2006.

Participating government agencies include the Ministry of Economic Affair's Bureau of Foreign Trade, Small and Medium Enterprise Administration, Industrial Development Bureau, Council of Cultural Affairs, National Science and Technology Program of e-Learning, and the National Palace Museum, among others.

Taiwan's government established a unified Web site in 2001 to provide the public with links to all government Web sites, allow rapid searches for all information on government agency Web pages and allow the public to communicate their opinions to the government via the Internet.

Also, the government directed all agencies to actively promote online public services to cover their areas of authority.

TAIWAN SHOULD EMPOWER PEOPLE WITH MORE INT'L KNOWLEDGE: ACADEMIC

Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) Taiwan should empower its people with more international knowledge so that they can be more "outward looking" instead of "inward looking, " a professor said Saturday in a seminar.

"There is more in this world than the Taiwan Strait and the relations among Taiwan, China and the U.S., " said Chang Hsi-mo, a professor at National Sun Yet-sen University, in a seminar focusing on the topic of international terrorism.

The seminar was a part of the launching ceremony for Chang's new book, titled "The Global War on Terrorism."

"Few people in Taiwan care about the global war on terrorism, " Chang lamented, adding that this is just another example of the fact that Taiwan people are indifferent to global affairs.

"The more we understand the world, the better we can see where we are at and where we are going," he added.

Chang further said that people in Taiwan should not only reach out to the world more, they should also pay attention to the way they see the world.

"Most of the times, we have too many opinions and not enough facts in Taiwan. People rush to make judgement instead of contemplating the subtler issues behind news events, " Chang said.

"For example, how do we define an 'extremist'? How do we define a 'terrorist'? Are all Muslims extremists and terrorists? Obviously not. But you seldom read insightful reports in newspapers in Taiwan on such topics," he said.

"Too many times, Taiwan people take a judgement as a reality, " Chang said.

TAIWAN CAN PLAY IMPORTANT ROLE IN WAR ON TERROR: OFFICIAL

Taipei, Nov. 25 (CNA) While international terrorism is not an issue on the minds of most of Taiwan's people, Taiwan can play an important role in the "global war on terrorism, " an official said Saturday.

"Taiwan should never underestimate itself, because it can play an important role in the global war on terror, " said Kuo Lin-wu, director of Executive Yuan's Counter Terrorism Office, in a seminar on international terrorism.

Taiwan has thousands of active and competitive small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) , Kuo said. This fact, coupled with the country's top machinery manufacturing and regional distribution capabilities in the Asia Pacific region, means that Taiwan could easily be exploited by terrorists, he said.

This is why Taiwan can play a big part in the war on terrorism and in preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, he noted.

And Taiwan should find its place in the global campaign because, contrary to what most Taiwan people think, Taiwan's national security is already threatened by international terrorism, which is spreading through the "globalized network, " Kuo added.

At the same time, Taiwan can learn a lot from taking part in the anti-terrorism campaign. As countries all over the world strengthen their crisis management mechanisms, Taiwan will be able to learn from others' experiences, Kuo said.

Taiwan can even explore new business opportunities in the anti-terrorism process, he said.

"Taiwan will have opportunities to leverage its technology competitiveness and get involved in various homeland security-related industries, " Kuo said.

TAIWAN BUSINESSES CAN MAKE SPLASH IN CENTRAL ASIA: ACADEMICS

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) Taiwan businesses can be successful in Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan if they conduct in-depth market analysis and manage to find niche markets in the region, academics said at an international forum Friday.



With Taiwan's expertise in agricultural technology and competitiveness in the food-processing industry, businesses in these sectors should seriously consider investing in Central Asia, said Nuraniye Ekram, a researcher at the Turkey National Security and Strategic Institute, Pacific Asia Laboratory.



Ekram made the suggestion in her comments on a thesis by Sophie Huang, titled "Analysis on Kazakhstan food processing industry 2000-2003," at the annual Taiwan-Central Asia Forum, which was held in Chungli, Taoyuan County.



After breaking away from the former Soviet Union in 1991, the average annual salary of Kazakhs has been increasing because of an open economy. And Kazakhs spend more than half of their salaries on food expenses, Huang wrote in the thesis.



However, 80 percent of daily commodities in Kazakhstan still rely on imported products, which makes the food-processing industry a niche market for foreign countries, Huang wrote.



But Taiwan businesses should take note of a couple of things before rushing into Central Asia, Ekrams warned.



They will have to face the first challenge in language. In Kazakhstan, most people communicate with Russian, not English, she said.



Secondly, foreign businesses should understand the eating habits of Muslims, a religion shared by up to 70 percent of the population in Central Asia.



Taiwan businesses are also advised to make an in-depth analysis of Central Asian markets before making investments, as local markets for processed food in Central Asia have been dominated by countries such as the U.S., Turkey and China, Huang said.



If Taiwan businesses manage to meet these challenges, they are looking at a potential market of 56 million people, Ekram said.

TAIWAN SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO CENTRAL ASIA: ACADEMIC

Taipei, Nov. 23 (CNA) Taiwan should pay more attention to Central Asia, a region with great business potential and a massive political impact, academics said in a two-day international forum Thursday.



With a population of 56 million and an open economic system since breaking away from the former Soviet Union in 1991, Central Asia is looking at an output value of US$10 trillion in the next 10 years, forum President Fu Jen-kun said at the sixth Taiwan-Central Asia Forum that opened that day at Ching Yun University in Taoyuan County.



Central Asia, which consists of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikstan, is also rich in natural resources such as oil and natural gas -- another reason Taiwan must not ignore the potential in the region, said Fu.



It is probably hard for Taiwan to establish closer political ties with the countries of Central Asia due to the influence of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- an intergovernmental

organization founded in 2001 by China and the five Central Asia countries, but Taiwan must find another way to boost relations with the region, such as sharing agriculture experience, technology and expertise, said Taipei Agriculture Product Marketing Company Director Chang Yong-fang.



Taiwan needs to be involved with Central Asia affairs and expand its knowledge of the region if it wants to establish better ties with the region, Fu said.



The two-day forum has gathered government officials, academics and industry leaders from Taiwan and Central Asia.

ANNUAL TAIWAN-CENTRAL ASIA INTERNATIONAL FORUM HELD IN TAIWAN

Taipei, Nov. 23 (CNA) A two-day annual international forum focused on Central Asia issues opened Thursday in Chungli, Taoyuan County, gathering government officials, academics and industry leaders from Taiwan and Central Asian countries.



Central Asia, which today comprises the independent republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, will be a region of global strategic influence in the future with its rich natural resources, said Fu Jen-kun, president of the sixth Taiwan-Central Asia Forum.



"Taiwan cannot afford to overlook the massive potential of the region, business-wise or politics-wise, although we know too little about it, " said Fu, who also serves as director of the Graduate Institute of Central Asia Studies at Ching Yun University (CYU), the main organizer.



"When we discuss Central Asia, the impact of its neighbors -- Russia and China -- can never be ignored," Fu also noted.



The forum consists of nine panel discussions on an array of topics about Central Asia, especially Kazakhstan.



A total of 29 theses are to be presented at the forum on topics such as the Eastern Turkistan issue, the security challenges of relations between China and Kazakhstan, the situation in the Caspian Sea area, the energy competition of the great powers in Central Asia, and China's maneuvering in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.



Foreign attendees who shared their views with local academics on the first day included CYU Assistant Professor Erkin Ekrem, Kazakhstan Agriculture Research Center researcher Larissa Geronina, Institute for Comparative Central Asia Studies researcher Nicolay Dombrovsky, Energy Integrated Enterprise General Executive Chary Ernepesov of Turkmenistan and Jenishbek Junushaliev, an academic at the National Kyrgyz Academy of Science.

LONG-AWAITED HUASHAN CULTURE PARK TO BE OPERATIONAL NEXT JUNE

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Located in the heart of Taipei City, the long-awaited Huashan Culture Park will begin operations next June, the Council of Cultural Affairs (CCA) announced in a press conference Wednesday.



The culture park, which went through four years of planning and the tenure of three CCA chairmen, includes an experimental film zone, an area to host a variety of creative cultural activities and exhibitions and a building as a "flagship base" for Taiwan's creative industry, said CCA chairman Chiu Kun-liang.



Public expectations are high for the project. Looking back, it's been a long and winding road since 1998, when a group of cultural workers urged the government to turn the old brewery dating back to 1916 into a culture park, Chiu said.



In 2002, the massive property -- located on Zhongxiao East Road, one of Taipei's busiest streets -- was designated as one of Taiwan's five culture parks. However, little progress has been made since then as public debate has heated up on the park's planning.



Starting June 2007, the culture park is expected to be "a showroom" for all kinds of exhibitions and activities and cross-over artforms, and for all ages, Chiu said, adding that the park will benefit creative and cultural industries as well as non-profit organizations.



The park is an ideal place to host cultural and artistic events because of its location and historical setting, said Liu Wei-gong, a Soochow University professor who was responsible for Huashan Culture Park's research plan.



Taiwan's cultural and creative industry has been rich in producing content while lacking an integrated platform and collective efforts. The industry is currently in fierce competition with China, which has been catching up, Chiu said.



"It's time for Taiwan to move forward and speed up," he said. "Hopefully, with the operation of the Huashan Culture Park and similar projects, Taiwan can establish a network for the cultural and creative industry and increase its global competitiveness," said Chiu.

CULTURE PARKS CAN DO FOR TAIWAN WHAT SCIENCE PARKS DID: ACADEMIC

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Culture parks will increase Taiwan's national competitiveness and take its cultural and creative industries to a higher level, just as the creation of science parks throughout the country did in the 1970s, a sociology professor said Wednesday.



"The impact and influence of science parks was one of the most important driving forces behind Taiwan's 'economical miracle' in the 1970s. And that is what culture parks can do for Taiwan," said Liu Wei-gong, a professor at Soochow University, at a press conference that announced Huashan Culture Park (HCP) will begin operation next June.



The cultural and creative industry, one of the most important sectors in a knowledge-based economy, will be Taiwan's pilot industry in the future, given the country's wealth in creative content production, Liu said.



As a strategic alliance -- also called cross-field "mesh up" and considered one of the industry's most important characteristics -- the HCP's departments are not categorized by sector but by type of product, Liu said.



The park's six departments include image development, entertainment development, exhibition and sales development, marketplace development, performance development and cultural/creative education development.



Liu believes Taiwan has the potential to become the leader among Asian nations in terms of cultural and creative industries -- with collective and concentrated efforts.



"Taiwan has long been known for its creative ideas and content. In recent years, however, it has lacked pragmatic action. And that is what Taiwan needs right now, with this project coming up," Liu said.