Premier Jiang Yi-huah toured Taitung County's Liuqiu Township today to get a close-up look at the offshore island's infrastructural and industrial development efforts.
While visiting Sanlung Temple, the premier was briefed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the construction of a senior citizen care center attached to the township's public health center. He said problems of population aging are growing fast in Taiwan where citizens over 65 years of age already account for more than 11 percent of the total populace. Hence, building such care centers for local communities is essential, an effort Jiang promoted vigorously while serving as minister of the interior. Jiang said he has directed government officials to give special attention to the care of the elderly, especially those living in remote areas and on offshore islands.
"The central government will do its best to help Liuqiu with the land and expenditures needed for the senior care center so that the facility can be completed as soon as possible," said the premier.
The premier also touted Liuqiu as one of the most pristine places in Taiwan that are still free from urban pollution. He encouraged officials and residents of the township to promote electric motorcycles as a means of preserving the environment while developing the intelligent technology industries.
To learn more about electric scooters on Liuqiu, Premier Jiang inspected a scooter station at Baisha Harbor and listened to a briefing by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration. Jiang said that the Executive Yuan identified smart electric vehicles (including automobiles and scooters) as a key industry for development after President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008. Having gone through several stages of trials and encountering problems and challenges (such as market size, technology and charging station installation), the government adjusted its strategies and direction and in the end selected electric scooters as one of the items suitable for domestic development.
After further deliberation, the government chose Liuqiu and other offshore islands as the primary sites to begin promoting electric scooters, Premier Jiang indicated. Over the next four years, the government will integrate vehicle subsidies and work with private manufacturers and local tourist businesses to replace 85 percent of the islands' fuel-powered rental scooters with electric ones. Aside from fulfilling green tourism and energy conservation policies, these efforts will combine Taiwan's smart and green technologies to cultivate smart electric vehicle manufacturers that can someday compete on the international market.