Copied from Wiki

* Top universities and research centers
o Goal: to have at least 15 major graduate school ranked number 1 in Asia in 5 years; to get at least one college ranked one of the top 100 colleges of the world in 10 years.

* International arts and popular music centers
o Northern Taiwan: Greater Taipei New Theater (大台北新劇院;計畫興建於板橋新站特定區內)
o Central Taiwan: Taichung Metropolitan Opera House (臺中大都會歌劇院;計畫興建於臺中市七期重劃區內)
o Southern Taiwan: Kaohsiung National Arts Cultural Center (高雄國家藝術文化中心;計畫興建於高雄鳳山衛武營)

* M-Taiwan plan
o Goal: to build a world-class internet service environment, and become the third trillion-dollar communication industrial development.

* Taiwan exhibition
o Goal: to exhibit Taiwan's creativity and vigor, and prompt the development of technology, tourism, and culture.

* 台鐵捷運化：配合高鐵通車，透過增站、增班、高架化、地下化，將台鐵轉型為都會及區域捷運，讓台鐵轉型再生，並帶動沿線都市更新。

* Freeway constructions
o Goal: to develop tourist attraction areas such as Yilan, Hualien, Taitung, and Nantou; to facilitate the everyday life circle; to expand the highway network.

* Kaohsiung Harbor intercontinental container port center
o Goal: to construct a new intercontinental container port for 15,000 TEU container ships; improve the transport ability of the Kaohsiung port.

* Northern, central, and southern metro system
o Goal: to plan and construct a total of 182 km of metro routes; to improve the rapid transit systems in metropolitan areas of northern, central, and southern Taiwan.

* Sewers
o Goal: to improve the living environment; to purify the water; to regain beautiful rivers and ocean.

* 平地水庫海淡廠：揚棄高山水庫，興建平地水庫解決缺水問題，創造水資源、觀光、生態多元使用的人工湖新地景；興建海淡廠解決竹科及離島地區供水缺口嚴重問題。

------------------------
That M -Taiwan plan looks pretty interesting

* Sewers
o Goal: to improve the living environment; to purify the water; to regain beautiful rivers and ocean.

Yes... please do it ASAP.

* 台鐵捷運化：配合高鐵通車，透過增站、增班、高架化、地下化，將台鐵轉型為都會及區域捷運，讓台鐵轉型再生，並帶動沿線都市更新。

In another word, TRA will become the taiwanese version of JR?

What's with Taiwan and "Ten Major Construction Projects"?

Can't they make it "Twenty Major Construction Projects" or "One Hundred"?

There's certainly way more than one hundred construction projects I could think of to improve Taiwan...

Restricted by money and priority.

I've seen this report before, maybe a couple of years ago and I believe many of these are already in the works. As much as Taiwan faces great disadvantages with politics and the world, its still good to see that Taiwanese are still pushing to make the place better.

Thank god for the new sewage system!

Yes...with Taiwan's politics it's hard to get anything done.

Here's me hoping the next cabinet will be more efficient at getting things done.

From the Taipei Journal
http://www.twaren.net/english/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=143&Itemid=2

Taiwan is known throughout the world as having created an "economic miracle." Now at the outset of the 21st century, Taiwan has a new opportunity to pursue the next level of development. This new opportunity is the challenge to globalize following Taiwan's admission as an official member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2002. Taiwan now plays by the same rules as the other 143 members of the WTO and competes on an equal footing in the international market. At the same time, markets in Taiwan will be opened further to foreign products and services.

Industries in Taiwan must quickly transform if they hope to find a place in this new competitive environment. As a WTO member, Taiwan will come under pressure as a result of the talent, technology, capital, and institutions brought to bear by large-scale multi-national enterprises from developed nations. This pressure is very different from the labor and resource issues that confronted Taiwan in the past. Taiwan must undertake a complete transformation in order to enhance conditions and achieve a competitive advantage in the global division of labor.

In response to these developments, the Executive Yuan proposed the "Challenge 2008" National Development Plan in May. This plan draws on and integrates the many resources -- including human resources, technology, capital, institutions, and the cluster effect -- built up during Taiwan's long-term economic development. Over the six-year course of the plan, NT$2.65 trillion (US$76.1 billion) will be invested to improve living standards and the business and investment climate in Taiwan.

The plan's ten major investment projects are infused with themes of culture and quality. A feature of the plan is to transform culture, creativity, and quality into economic industries. The plan serves as a blueprint for economic and social development, attaching equal importance to knowledge and innovation as well as the economy and the humanities. The Challenge 2008 plan also aims to attract private sector participation and resources. By contracting investment projects out to private enterprise, the government will create business opportunities for the private sector.

The plan focuses on ten major themes. These are (1) cultivating talent for the "e-generation," (2) developing the cultural creativity industry, (3) developing an international base for research, development, and innovation, (4) increasing value-added production, (5) doubling the number of tourists visiting Taiwan, (6) developing a digital Taiwan, (7) developing Taiwan as an operations headquarters, (8) improving the transportation infrastructure, (9) conserving water resources and the ecology, and (10) constructing new hometown communities.

The core values behind each of the themes are respecting people and achieving sustainable development. Facing the trend toward globalization, Taiwan must have a firm handle on international networking and the global division of labor in order to create a competitive niche for the future. Thus the concepts of cultivating talent, promoting life-long learning for the public, constructing communities, developing cultural industries, promoting cultural tourism, and achieving the sustainable development of public land have all been incorporated into this six-year national development plan.

Taiwan must actively cultivate high-quality, computer-savvy human resources with innovative abilities, familiarity with information technology and an international outlook. It must borrow from the successful experience of the United States and Europe in developing a creative cultural sector to nurture innovative industries.

To ensure concrete results in the promotion of the "Challenge 2008" National Development Plan, goals for the next six years have been clearly outlined. These objectives include making Taiwan a producer of at least 15 products or technologies that are the best in the world and increasing R&D spending to 3 percent of GDP. Within six years Taiwan will be brought in step with the world's advanced nations and developed into Asia's best base for innovation, research, and development in special areas. Added value in production will also be increased, transforming Taiwan into a global manufacturing and supply center for high value-added products. By 2008, Taiwan will be home to over six million subscribers of broadband Internet access and lead other Asian countries in electronic networking. The plan's operations headquarters program calls for investment in global logistics infrastructure to develop Taiwan into an optimal site for the establishment of regional operations headquarters by both domestic businesses and multinational enterprises. Mass transport services will also benefit from additional investment and will be integrated to form an ideal trunk transportation line for the whole island of Taiwan. This will allow for one-day round-trip travel between northern and southern Taiwan as well as 60-minute journeys between neighboring cities along the western corridor. In addition, to stimulate the development of related industries, efforts will be made to attract foreign tourists to Taiwan and increase total annual visits to over two million. Steps will be taken to restore Taiwan's natural ecology, integrate local resources, and develop special features for local industries. This comprehensive plan will create 700,000 jobs in the next six years, which should allow for an economic growth target of over 5 percent and an unemployment rate below 4 percent.

The national development plan will build upon the values of respect for people and sustainability to accelerate the transformation of Taiwan into a "green silicon island." It will require the participation and investment of the private sector. Even more important will be the participation of all citizens, working through communities and social groups to demonstrate Taiwan's vitality and creativity. Only then will Taiwan become the new paradise pursued by its people and a solid foundation for competitive strength.

M Taiwan and Rail transport should be top of the agenda

.... In another word, TRA will become the taiwanese version of JR?

There is one major difference. All JR companies operate both the high-speed interc-city rail service and the traditional regional/suburban rail service. In Taiwan, the high-speed rail is operated by THRC.

I think what they meant my 台鐵捷運化 is just increasing stations in major urban areas. Not changing it to MRT system. So far only Taoyuan, Taichung, and Kaohsiung is implementing this system. rest of the TRA will remain the same.

They're trying to make it more of a commuter rail around major population centers because people take the HSR for long distance travel along the west coast now. Also with sprawl starting at many cities a commuter rail has become more and more of a necessity.

They're trying to make it more of a commuter rail around major population centers because people take the HSR for long distance travel along the west coast now. Also with sprawl starting at many cities a commuter rail has become more and more of a necessity.

I think you're right and I think it's necessary to do so.