Jan 18, 2012
By Tyson Freeman
Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou has proposed a comprehensive public infrastructure construction plan for Taiwan that aims to advance the country’s infrastructure, fiscal health and financial services, as well as to build Taiwan into a regional air and marine transportation hub.
Economic pacts with major trading partners are expected to complement the infrastructure plan and play a role in attracting foreign investment in public infrastructure projects. According to Christina Liu, Taiwan’s minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, several investors from countries around the world have shown clear interest, and there are several projects in progress throughout Taiwan, representing NT$300 billion to NT$400 billion (US$9.9 billion to US$13.2 billion) in foreign investment.
Ma’s plan features upgrades of basic software technology and hardware infrastructures to boost national competitiveness as well as upgrades to a subpar water and wastewater system. One goal of the plan is to increase the household wastewater connection rate from 28.2 percent currently to 39.8 percent in five years and 49.8 percent in a decade, while improving the integral wastewater treatment rate from 56.4 percent to 69 percent and 79 percent, respectively, within the same time frames.
Another goal is to cut the water leakage rate from the current 20 percent to 17 percent in five years and 15 percent or less in the next decade. The government also plans to install smart meters in 2 million and 6 million households within five and 15 years, respectively.
Transportation infrastructure also is a priority. Integrating Taiwan’s West Coast Expressway, Sun Yat-sen and Formosa freeways, as well as 12 east-west expressways to form an island-wide network, and boosting usage rates for railways and other public transportation services both are priorities.
