Premier Su Tseng-chang on Tuesday hosted a banquet for participants in the Overseas Community Affairs Council's 2019 Commissioners' Conference, where he welcomed the attendees and thanked them for their continued concern for Taiwan even as they pursued their everyday lives abroad. The premier also expressed hope that the overseas Taiwanese community would continue to offer encouragement and counsel as the government presses on with development for the benefit of the nation and people of Taiwan.
Under the leadership of President Tsai Ing-wen, the government has fully committed all resources and efforts to the public at large, said Premier Su. As an example, he explained that the initial target of the program to spur domestic investment by overseas Taiwanese businesses was NT$250 billion (US$8 billion) for the entire year. Now, however—only four months into 2019—the government has secured close to NT$300 billion (US$9.6 billion) in committed investments, and estimates that nearly 30,000 new jobs will open up as a result. The premier expressed confidence, as well, that these figures will continue to grow, with many more companies now applying to pursue additional projects back in Taiwan.
The good news even extends into this year's tax season, the premier said. Having pushed through tax cuts, the government has engineered a windfall popular with all taxpayers, who can now look forward to higher earnings and lower tax bills.
As for agricultural exports, Premier Su said that the more than US$5.47 billion (about NT$164.1 billion) worth of such goods shipped in 2018 set a new 20-year high, and this year Japan has already placed orders for NT$750 million (US$24.1 million) in bananas.
Taiwan has also remained vigilant against threats posed by the international movement of agricultural products. Raising the current epidemic of African swine fever as an example, Premier Su said that on his first day in office, he made an inspection tour of the Taoyuan International Airport and demanded that 100 percent of carry-on luggage arriving from affected areas be screened. Since then, the virus has swept through Vietnam, Mongolia, Hong Kong and every province of China. Only Taiwan has succeeded in its arduous defense against the outbreak.