Mayor’s Remarks:
A. Tainan’s persistent participation in the New Southbound Policy
1. After President Tsai took office, the New Southbound Policy came to fruition accordingly. Not only are timing and locations necessary factors, but the right social connections are prerequisites of implementing this policy. The government is more than willing to pave the path for the people of Taiwan to invest in countries of ASEAN and South Asia and also welcomes these nations and countries to establish business partnership with Taiwan. Having such bilateral relationships is advantageous for Taiwan. I would like to express gratitude to the Minister without Portfolio, John C.C. Deng, who established, on October 12th, the necessary connections for the New Southbound Policy by leading a team at the Office of Trade Negotiations of the Executive Yuan and initiated dialogue with the City Government and the associated units and manufacturers.
2. Minister without Portfolio Deng mentioned the three “New Developments” in the New Southbound Policy, namely a new scope, a new direction, and new support. Besides maintaining good ties with the ten nations of ASEAN, multilateral commercial and trading activities have been established with six countries of South Asia, New Zealand, and Australia while investors from ASEAN and South Asia are also welcome. Practicing a mutual benefit model with a reciprocal relationship as focus, Taiwanese students can head to ASEAN and South Asia for summer internship. In this way, Southeast Asia is no longer regarded as a base for low-priced overseas production; instead, it is the land of opportunities and an extended channel desirable for the Taiwanese market.
3. Starting June 22nd, direct flights from Tainan City to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, have been made accessible. “The New Southbound Policy and Southeast Asia Commercial and Cultural Exchange Symposium” was held on July 22nd, showcasing the determination and dynamic nature of cooperating policies. Thereafter, there will be close-knit coordination to facilitate trade, economy, and cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Southeast Asia and South Asia. In the near future, there will be official plans to promote economic and trading exchanges and to consolidate a sense of an economic community.
B. Provisional Office for Tainan’s Green Energy Technology Policy and Research and Development Center to be established by the end of October
1. President Tsai, during her election campaign, once mentioned the proposal of “five leading industries”, making Shalun in Tainan as the center where the “Green Energy Technology Policy and Research and Development Center” can be set up. The Tainan City Government and the Foresight Group co-hosted the “2016 Forum on the Prospective Green Energy Industry and Boosting Taiwan’s Competitiveness” in Tainan on October 8th. I am grateful for the attendance of Vice President Chen Jian-ren and the Directors from the Executive Yuan, Academia Sinica, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Council of Agriculture. Representatives from industries, academia and research institutes also gathered in Tainan to make proposals and to share insights regarding crucial aspects of Taiwan’s green energy industry.
2. I am particularly grateful for the Central Government’s support towards the development of Tainan’s green energy industry. With the Central Government’s abundant resources and funding, Tainan is able to proceed with three major constructions, namely Shalun Green Energy Science and Technology Park, Greater Tainan Expo & Convention Center, and Academia Sinica in Southern Taiwan. By the end of October, the provisional office for Tainan’s Green Energy Technology Policy and Research and Development Center is expected to be officially established at National Chiao Tung University, Tainan Campus. 20 to 25 persons will be stationed initially to assist in the promotional and preparatory activities. Thereafter, the Economic Development Bureau and the Urban Development Bureau are both expected to assign one person to be stationed at the center.
Reports:
A. Tainan Public Works Bureau reports on “Tainan City Road Construction—Outcomes and Prospects” (refer to written sources for details)
Resolution: Approved for reference filing
Mayor’s Comments:
1. Public infrastructure is the cornerstone of a city’s development. The international trend for road network development takes advantage of transportation and roadwork to orientate industrial developments. In addition, providing a safe and convenient way home is also a promise I have always made to the citizens of Tainan and it has continuously been a focus of our administration. The “Ten Major Flagship Projects—Convenient Living in Tainan” in conjunction with the “New Ten Major Flagship Projects— Nine Major Traffic Infrastructures” aim to speed up the construction of the road network that connects Tainan from all directions, creating a one-hour living perimeter. Provincial Highway 86 and 84, the newly-built Liouying and Dawan Interchange will all be open to traffic. Even the last piece of road work, the Provincial Highway 61 West Coast Expressway is also due to be completed before the end of December, 2017.
2. In the past five years, Tainan City has completed 41 roadwork and traffic system construction assignments, covering a total of 60 kilometers within the designated living perimeter. With 14 subsidized projects from 2015 to 2018 and expenses of up to $11.33 billion, I am grateful for the Central Government’s support for making Tainan City fully accessible to the public. In addition, the City Government has also completed 115 newly-built and widened roads, covering a total of 47 kilometers, and the construction and restoration of 37 bridges.
3. Widening roads is indispensable in the development of a city in accordance with the expectations of the public. Therefore, early in my first term of office, I declared the implementation of the “Flat Road Program”, in which roads, under strict supervision from the Tainan Public Works Bureau, can only differ in color but same in level. For the past five years, the outcome is obvious, owing to the conscientious efforts of the Bureau, having completed 98 assignments of the Flat Road Program, covering a total of 143 kilometers. The public underground cartographic data survey of 37 administrative districts (roads with widths exceeding eight meters) will be completed in 2017, significantly elevating the efficiency of road maintenance. Reassuringly, besides ranking in the top three of road evaluations conducted by the Central Government, such constructions have also been award-winning. The “Public Pipeline Data for Disaster Prevention Application” has also been awarded the “7th Taiwan Healthy City and Age-Friendly City Award” and the “WHO West Pacific Healthy City Association Emergency Response and Planning Award”. The “Road Excavation and Management Scheme” had the honor of receiving the “8th Government Service Quality Award” this year, setting a model example for other counties and cities. Such achievements are only possible under the guidance and efforts of Deputy Mayor Wu and Director General Su, both of whom have, for the past five years, sowed the seeds of success so that we can enjoy the harvest. We are also appreciative of the hard work of the chiefs and fellow staff members in the various associated units.
4. The Tainan Public Works Bureau needs to perpetuate its planning and promotion of the southward extension of Provincial Highway 61 West Coast Expressway, the construction of roads around the Green Energy Park, and the refinement of access roads to the freeways. The Bureau also needs to announce the funding, which is now available from the Central Government, for the constructions that we have worked hard to obtain. In this way, the public can have a thorough understanding of future traffic planning and regulations. The treatment of the ashes of the incinerators also requires planning by the Bureau and further assistance is requested from the Environmental Protection Bureau.
B. The Economic Development Bureau reports on the current and future status of Tainan’s green energy industry (refer to written sources for details)
Resolution: Approved for reference filing
Mayor’s Remarks:
1. To transform Tainan into a low-carbon and high-tech city has been a goal I have worked very hard to attain. The green energy industry is indeed a huge step forward in achieving this goal. In recent years, the world has seen dramatic growths and developments in the green energy industry. Each and every country has been competing in its investment in a green economy. In response to future industrial developments, building a low-carbon city means being internationally competitive in the green energy industry. Thus, the Economic Development Bureau has committed itself to expanding this industry, making full use of the research and development resources and industries of the south to promote the advancement and competitiveness of such industry. The City Government has simultaneously promoted the concept of a Solar City. Industrial innovations are subsidized for setting up local SBIR, attending national and international exhibitions, the integrations of award-winning green energy products, hosting biotechnology green energy exhibitions, and assisting Taiwan’s green energy industry alliance and operational measures. Under the supervision of Director General Fang of the Economic Development Bureau and with the hard work of his team, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has approved up to 3,266 assignments for the construction of The Solar City Project, the first in the nation to do so.
2. The Central Government has extensively promoted the establishment of the green energy industry and has appointed Shalun in Tainan to build a “Green Energy Science and Technology Park” with conservation, innovation, energy storage, and integrated systems as its four principles. By establishing a “Green Energy Technology Policy and Research and Development Center” and a “Green Energy Technology Demonstration Area”, Shalun can become the core of a “dynamic ecosystem for green energy, technology, and innovative industries”. The Central Government has already accelerated its operation and the provisional office is due to be set up in Tainan by October this year. By December 2019, the Taiwan Research Institute is expected to be fully operational. The City Government and associated units are fully cooperative to coordinate future constructions such as the building of basic living facilities, public infrastructures, and international schools. We believe that the central and local governments will cooperate in leading the whole of Taiwan in the development of the green energy industry.
3. The Economic Development Bureau is requested to coordinate with the Central Government to install the solar photovoltaic system, providing 1,520 megawatts, within the next two years. Assistance from the Central Government is also needed regarding installing the solar photovoltaic energy system in the Beimen District, Jiangjyun District, Cigu's salt industry, and other governmental dormitories. In addition, the Water Resources Bureau is requested to evaluate the installation and management of the floating solar photovoltaic system at the flood detention pools. The Agriculture Bureau needs to conduct follow-ups to the cultivated lands that the Central Government had inspected and declared unfavorable. The Environmental Protection Bureau is requested to speed up the installation of the solar photovoltaic system at the landfill sites in order to comply with the low-carbon self-governance articles of Tainan City. Only by doing the above-mentioned can we fully promote the development of green energy and attain the goal of a nuclear-free homeland, which will have a 20% dependency on renewable energy sources by 2025.
4. The construction of the Green Energy Science and Technology Park requires the utmost cooperation from the Environmental Protection Bureau, the Economic Development Bureau, Public Works Bureau, Transportation Bureau, Education Bureau, Urban Development Bureau, Land Administration Bureau, and other associated bureaus and departments. In particular, the Education Bureau needs to continue its efforts in promoting the establishment of bilingual experimental schools and seek for ways to overcome the enactments of the Central Government in order to make the establishment of international schools possible in certain districts. The Urban Development Bureau is requested to proceed with the alterations in land category and the adjustment of perimeters regarding the airport MRT and the sewage treatment plants as soon as possible. I would also like to request that Secretary General Lee convenes meetings to assist in the running of the above-mentioned tasks.