The Executive Yuan on June 7 approved the Council for Economic Planning and Development's (CEPD) "visions for a golden decade" national development plan.
Premier Sean Chen remarked that not only is the plan crucial for driving the nation toward excellence, it also reaffirms President Ma Ying-jeou's commitment to the people. He instructed the CEPD and government agencies to select and submit three top policies for the Executive Yuan's approval and to devote all necessary efforts into implementing them.
Because the golden decade plan focuses on the long-term development of the nation, said the premier, it should be flexible enough to adapt swiftly to changes in the internal and external environments. He asked the CEPD and related agencies to incorporate the plan into Taiwan's 2013-2016 mid-term national development projects, and to map out concrete goals and measures for each year reflecting the plan's visions and objectives.
According to the CEPD, the plan's ultimate goal is to lead Taiwan into prosperity, peace, sustainability and well-being. Its eight visions consist of a robust economy, a just society, clean and competent government, high-quality culture and education, environmental sustainability, well-rounded development, cross-strait peace, and friendly relations with the international community.
To achieve the above, Taiwan will shift to the following new ways of thinking:
- an economic model driven by innovation rather than efficiency;
- a social care system focusing more on boosting the level of gross national happiness (GNH) than spurring growth of the gross domestic product (GDP);
- a nation preferring to demonstrate soft, smart power over hard power; and
- a system to expand trade through strategic alliances rather than from individual effort.
The plan's key driving forces also include:
- innovation: developing new energy, talent and infrastructure;
- openness: bringing Taiwan to the world, and the world to Taiwan; and
- restructuring: transforming Taiwan's industrial structure, balancing regional development, improving income distribution, and creating a healthy and sustainable homeland.