Hsuehshan Tunnel (III): Uneven economic benefits

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/08/31
By Kuo Chung-han CNA Staff writer

Ten years after the Hsuehshan Tunnel on National Freeway No. 5 opened in June 2006, shortening the commute between Taipei and Yilan County, the two regions have been brought closer together, but Yilan’s economy has not received the bump many expected.

The thought was that by cutting travel time between Taiwan’s capital and commercial hub and the less developed rural county, Yilan would not only see a major rise in tourism but also more industrial development by serving as an extension of Taipei.

That has not happened, at least when seen through the prism of the Yilan Science Park, a 70-hectare rectangular lot near the Yilan County government that was expected to push the industrial advancement of the northeastern Taiwan county.

The science park, planned in 2005, was intended to attract investment from low-pollution, high added-value sectors, such as telecommunications knowledge-based sectors, digital content-related software businesses, and innovative and R&D-based sectors.     [FULL  STORY]