GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE:Food and communications industry chairmen have urged the president-elect to assist more sectors to enter the international market

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 17, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

Industrial heavyweights yesterday urged the incoming government to maintain cross-strait rapprochement and facilitate a review of the service trade agreement with China to help boost the competitiveness of Taiwanese exports.

“All eyes will be on president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) during her inauguration speech on May 20, and she needs political prowess and delicacy when setting the tone for her leadership in the next four years without estranging Beijing,” Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (CNAIC, 工商協進會) chairman Lin Por-fong (林伯豐) said.

Lin, also chairman of Taiwan Glass Industry Corp (台灣玻璃), said at a business gathering in Taipei that extending the “status quo,” as Tsai has said at public engagements, is both vague and inadequate.

Cross-strait harmony is crucial to Taiwan’s economy as many firms have moved operations to China, the destination for 40 percent of outbound shipments, Lin said.     [FULL  STORY]