Pres. Ma: Europeans Welcome to Invest in Twelve Taiwan Projects

     During a banquet that the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT) held recently to celebrate Europe Day as well as its own 20th anniversary, President Ma Ying-jeou invited European companies to invest in the “i-Taiwan 12 Projects” and join in the effort to revitalize the island’s economy.
The President noted that the government is carrying out the i-Taiwan 12 Projects to give the island a healthy and prosperous economy, and that European investment in those projects is welcome. During his speech he also praised the ECCT for its contributions to Taiwan’s economic and social development, and noted Europe’s position of global leadership in “save energy, cut emissions” efforts and technologies. Taiwan could learn much from European countries in this respect, Ma said.
Ma pointed out that Taiwan’s target was to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the 2008 level by 2020, to the 2000 level by 2025, and to just half of the 2000 level by 2050. This is an ambitious target, he said, and its achievement will require quick action and an early start.
In his own speech during the banquet, ECCT Chairman Philippe Pellegrin noted that his organization fully realized Ma’s earnest desire for reform. The ECCT was happy about the prospects for normalization of economic relations between Taiwan and mainland China, he said, and encouraged the government to move swiftly in promoting cross-strait exchange, establishing direct cargo flights, and opening up investment in mainland Chinese securities. At the same time, he expressed the wish that Taiwan would further develop bilateral friendship and cooperation with the European Union.
The reopening of the gates to cross-strait economic cooperation, Pellegrin noted, should also help European enterprises offer more job opportunities to the Taiwanese people. He is profoundly confident in Taiwan’s future, he emphasized, believing that the island will become a prime choice, along with Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo, as an international service center for foreign enterprises.

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