& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Taiwan Sets its Targets for 2000

by Stuart Arnold
IN 43 year* the Island of Taiwan ha* moved from being a largely poor aeri cultural-baaed society to become the world • 15th far gest trading nation. Now It alms to reach a per capita Income level of 920.000 by the year 2000.
It is a spectacular advance ■Ince the revolution of 1949 divided the Chinese nation between the communist mainland and the nationalist republic of China that moved to Taiwan.
With western support. Ils 20 million population ha* de vrloped an Import and export trade that last year totalled • 122 billion.
Annual average growth rale* In recent years have been nine per cent. This ha* given Taiwan a new confidence and as a result it f» playing an In-
be seen at the hi-tech tndu* trial park at Hsinchu. near the capital Taipei, where a factory 1* turning out 100.000 personal computer* a month.
Taiwan'* five main Indu* trial products are electronics, machinery petrochemicals, textiles and foodstuffs. The country * second largest city. Kaohsiung boast* an impre* •Ive and generally profitable shipbuilding yard.
All this economic success would not hav/ been possible without a strong Central flank and a well organised financial system.
Samuel Shteh ha* been bank governor since 1989. Largely export-oriented trade policies have left the Central Hank sitting on almost 880 bil Iton of foreign exchange reserves — the largest tn the
creasingly important role in
While agricultural production still absorbs 12 per cent of the workforce and produce* a modicum of rice, sweet potatoes. sugar cane and fruit it is technological advances in farming that have produced high yields from a comparatively small amount of arable land.
This has meant, for example. that the number of grape harvests has increased from one to three a year.
However, it is Taiwan s rapid Industrialisation that has fired it economic development. It* earlier reputation as a maker of low-quality toys and cheap electronic goods has long since disappeared.
The enormous changes that have already taken place can
world.
Shteh wa* born on the mainland — in Meihaien. Kwangtung province, and trained in the United State*. From 1967 to 1981 he wa* Director of the Project* Department of the Asian Development Bank in Manila. Then he was elected board chairman of the Bank of Communication in Taipei. At 72 he remains as enthusiastic as ever.
The economic success of the country can be judged from the milestones in Shfch's. own career. He says: "When I started work in 1949 the per capita income was just over 8100 a year."
It is now $8,000 against Japans S24.000. Under an ambitious $300 billion six-year development plan, the gov
ernment hopes to reach full Industrialised statu* with a per capita Income growing to • 14.000 by 1996.
The plan includes realistic targets in agriculture. Industry ■nd the services sector; the
for continued Industrial growth; promoting balanced regional development: and raising the quality of life.
Industrial project will play a particularly important role, and there are plans to establish new high technology industrial parks and Industrial zones in the coastal areas.
The national distribution of service Industries and the development of city centre* In the larger cities are an attempt to ease the traffic congestion ■nd will have a high priority.
One major project Is a highspeed rail link between Taipei and Kaohsiung. A whole new railroad track will have to be built and the 344 kilometre system will Include seven stations and cost 916 bullion. It will take eight years to bulked ■nd should have ■ dally capacity of 190.000 passengers.
Shteh is also keen that, with Its new-found wealth. Taipei should become a regional financial centre. He says: Our objective Is simply to develop a complementary centre to Singapore and Hong Kong."
He agrees certain conditions have to be fulfilled — capital. Information and people must be allowed to cross freely national boundaries. Telecommunications facilities must be of good quality and reasonably priced.
Wt need trained manpower not only with the trained expertise but with foreign language skills, and the back-up services of accountant*. lawyers and related professions should be of a high standard."
A* the country makes rapid economic stride* 1t» going internationalisation should also bring greater benefits to the island economy. Its huge foreign exchange reserves can be better utilised and more local jobs created.
New life 1s being Injected Into the Taiwan economy through dynamic technological innovations, good management and major Investment in the research and development sector.
The ultimate alm of a per capita Income level of #20,000 by the end of the century remains. of course, contingent on reasonable relation* with mainland China.
— Gemini News
Stuart Arnold has been an International banker for more than 20 years and now is a freelance writer and consultant and travels widely.