President Tsai lauds Taitung’s agriculture, indigenous culture, tourism sector

2018/07/25

President Tsai Ing-wen wrapped up July 23 a two-day trip to southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung County, reiterating the government’s commitment to cultivating the region’s agricultural sector and fostering broader awareness of its rich indigenous culture and blossoming tourism industry.
 
 Wide-ranging initiatives to bolster local development include the expansion of the South-Link Highway and electrification of the South-Link and Hualien-Taitung railway lines, Tsai said. Scheduled for completion within the next two years, these projects are expected to boost visitor numbers and offer greater convenience for residents, she added.
 
 In recent years, the government has also enacted numerous measures to spotlight the county’s natural beauty and cultural vibrancy, Tsai said, noting that Taitung was chosen as host of last year’s Double Tenth National Day fireworks show and is scheduled to stage the Taiwan Pasiwali music festival in August.
 
 On the first day of her trip, Tsai visited the county’s premier annual event, the Taiwan International Balloon Festival, now in its eighth edition. She said that the festival, running through Aug. 13 this year, has demonstrated that creative approaches to local tourism industry development can deliver substantial benefits.
 
 The same day, the president also traveled to Taromak, the first indigenous community in Taiwan to set up a solar energy company. Lauding the tribal village’s efforts as in line with the government’s policy of transitioning to renewables, she expressed hope that the project can serve as a model for other private sector initiatives across the nation.
 
 On July 23, Tsai’s itinerary included stops at a community health center in Donghe Township’s Longchang Village, Chenggong Fish Harbor and the farmers’ association of Chishang Township, a region famed for its high-quality rice. At the former, she met with seniors to assess progress under the government’s Long-term Care Plan 2.0, a comprehensive initiative aimed at ensuring access to the full gamut of services from preventative treatment to community-based support and late-life hospice care.
 
 At the harbor, the president held discussions with local fishermen to identify areas in which the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture can help strengthen industry development. And in Chishang, the president talked with agricultural workers about issues such as international marketing of local produce, and tried her hand at packaging rice and making rice-based snacks.
 
 Tsai was accompanied on the trip by Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod, COA Deputy Minister Chen Chi-chung and Tourism Bureau Director-General Chou Yung-hui.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=10&post=138485)