Premier Jiang Yi-huah today met with representatives from six major industrial and commercial associations to exchange opinions on several issues of public concern.
The premier stressed the necessity of pension reform, saying that if it is not dealt with now, Taiwan could follow in Greece's footsteps, with its pension funds soon becoming insolvent.
"Pension reforms have come to the final stage of ruling and opposition party negotiation," Jiang noted. "Hopefully the executive and legislative branches can join hands to work out reform plans that are acceptable to all sectors of society."
Regarding the construction of the Longmen Nuclear Power Plant, the nation's fourth, Premier Jiang reiterated the great importance the government places on nuclear safety and added that the government will regularly publicize the results of the plant's safety inspections. He noted that when the Great Tohoku Earthquake struck Japan March 11, 2011, the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant, which was the closest to the tsunami caused by the earthquake, withstood the natural disaster safe and sound, but the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, which is more distant, was damaged because of insufficient safety measures and human factors, indicating that such catastrophes can be prevented in advance. "Taiwan's nuclear power plants must not only prevent Fukushima-like incidents from happening in Taiwan but also take precautions to forestall any compound disasters," he said.
Concerning foreign currency exchange rates, Premier Jiang replied that exchange rates are a very complicated issue to which the central bank must give careful consideration, factoring in aspects such as import and export businesses, inflation, hot money and Taiwan's foreign exchange reserves.
The premier said he has requested the Council for Economic Planning and Development to put forward the second-phase free economic zone plan by the end of June. The Executive Yuan will formally announce this important project to the public in July with a view to fast-tracking its implementation.
On the securities gains tax, Premier Jiang said Minister of Finance Chang Sheng-ford's recent communication with the legislative caucuses of various political parties has been going on smoothly and that he hopes the relevant legislation is amended without a hitch.
The participating representatives commended the government's action to safeguard fishermen's fishing rights at sea. The premier responded that the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has dispatched large vessels to waters south of Taiwan since May 10 to increase protection for Taiwanese boats following the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine Coast Guard personnel in the area and that the CGA's patrol vessels crossed the 20 degrees north latitude line yesterday.
The participating representatives also mentioned that the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration under the Ministry of Economic Affairs is understaffed and underfunded. Premier Jiang replied that he has always attached great importance to the development of Taiwan's small and medium-sized businesses and that he will look into the situation.
Leading representatives of the six major industrial and commercial associations taking part in the meeting included Chairman Rock Hsu for the Chinese National Federation of Industries, Board of Supervisors convener Wang Ying-chieh for the General Chamber of Commerce of the R.O.C., Chairman Kenneth Lo for the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce, Vice Chairman Chen Jui-hung for the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, R.O.C.; Chairman Hsu Hsien-jung for the Taiwan Federation of Industry, and Chairman Arthur Chiao for the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association.