PRESS DIGEST-Taiwan - July 7

TAIPEI, July 7 (Reuters) - Taiwan newspapers carried the following stories on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

CHINA TIMES

-- President Ma Ying-jeou said he blamed himself for not communicating well with legislators on the controversial choice of the vice chief of the Control Yuan, which oversees issues such as the conduct of civil servants.

-- The presidential office clarified comments by President Ma Ying-jeou, saying the leader did not say he was in favour of re-establishing the defunct National Unification Council, which takes charge of issues related to unification with China.

UNITED DAILY NEWS

-- Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said the government would revamp a freeway on the east coast connecting the Suao Harbour in Ilan county and Hualien city in Hualien county, a controversial project that failed to pass environmental laws.

-- Convenient store sales in Taiwan have fallen for a third straight month as consumers tightened their purse strings due to increasing inflationary pressures.

LIBERTY TIMES

-- Two of Taiwan's tennis players won the Boys' Doubles at Wimbledon, becoming the first Taiwanese to do so.

COMMERCIAL TIMES

-- Formosa Plastics president Lee Chih-tsuen predicted oil prices could fall back to $100 per barrel by the end of the year after the U.S. presidential election.

ECONOMIC DAILY NEWS

-- Formosa Plastics (1301.TW), which broke ground on a Vietnam steel-making complex on Sunday, plans to boost capacity to 30 million tonnes of steel per year after its third phase is completed.