FACTBOX: Key facts on Taiwan's Ma Ying-jeou's economic policies

Mon Mar 24, 2008 4:28am EDT
 
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TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's President-elect Ma Ying-jeou won elections over the weekend by a landslide, in part by pushing an economic platform of stronger trade links with political rival China.

Policies expected to provide the biggest and most immediate boost to Taiwan's economy include allowing more mainland tourists to visit Taiwan, and easing or eliminating restrictions on banks and tech firms investing in China.

Following are some key facts about the economic policies of Ma, whose Nationalist Party (KMT) also won a large parliamentary majority in legislative elections in January:

* Ma said he aims to boost Taiwan's GDP growth to more than 6 percent every year, compared with 5.7 percent last year.

* Ma said his government would aim to invest T$2.65 trillion ($88 billion) in 12 infrastructure projects over the next eight years, attracting another T$1.34 trillion in private sector investment and generating 120,000 jobs a year.

* Ma supports a "common-market", similar to the European Union's, between China and Taiwan.

* Ma has said he would open up regular direct flights between Taiwan and China and would conclude a deal opening up Taiwan to significantly more mainland Chinese tourists by July 1.

* Ma has said he would push for a pact similar to the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) that Hong Kong has with China, but not use the "CEPA" label for political reasons.

* Ma said he aims to raise per-capita GDP to $30,000 and to lower the unemployment rate to less than 3 percent from the current 3.95 percent.

Source: Reuters, Ma's Web site (here)

(Reporting by Taipei newsroom; Editing by David Fogarty)

 

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