[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 22 (Friday, February 3, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2138-S2139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA

 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, last year I had the opportunity to 
visit the Republic of China on Taiwan and witness first hand the 
social, economic, and political progress in that country. During my 
visit I had the pleasure of meeting with President Lee Teng-Hui, who 
has been a strong agent of change and leader for his country. My home 
State, Idaho, has directly benefited by the developments in the 
Republic of China though an enhanced relationship and growing trade 
relations.
   [[Page S2139]] During my visit to the Republic of China I did not 
have an opportunity to meet with Premier Lien Chan. Therefore, it is 
with great pleasure that I rise today to enter into the Record the 
following statement detailing the efforts and accomplishments of Mr. 
Lien as presented to me by Winston L. Yang, chairman of Seton Hall 
University Department of Asian Studies. In so doing, I hope that others 
may benefit from Mr. Yang's comments and become more familiar with 
developments in the Republic of China.
  The statement follows:

                Premier Lien Chan's Reforms and Programs

                          (By Winston L. Yang)

       It has been almost two years since Lien Chan became the 
     14th Premier of the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan.
       As Premier, Mr. Lien has been carrying out polices of 
     democratization and using Taiwan's economic power to break 
     out of the international isolation created by Peking.
       Lien has reaffirmed the ROC's commitment to the official 
     goal of eventual reunification with the mainland. But while 
     following a pragmatic policy toward the mainland and working 
     to expand unofficial exchanges between the two sides, he also 
     insists on the need to strengthen Taiwan's defense and 
     international standing. In implementing ``Pragmatic 
     Diplomacy,'' Lien has advanced the possibility of Taiwan's 
     renewed representation at the United Nations and membership 
     in other international organizations. Mr. Lien wants to 
     hasten the pace of Taiwan's modernization and economic 
     development. One of his goals is to increase per capita 
     income to at least $20,000 by the beginning of the twenty-
     first century.
       His economic recovery program, which is both realistic and 
     well-designed, is intended to strengthen Taiwan's economy and 
     competitiveness.
       Premier Lien has attached great importance to his 
     administrative reform programs, which are designed to improve 
     morale, to upgrade the quality and efficiency of government, 
     and to reduce and ultimately eliminate corruption, 
     insubordination, bureaucratic elitism, and waste in personnel 
     and resources. His sight is set on establishing a clean, 
     efficient, capable, and streamlined government, making it 
     Taiwan's greatest ``service enterprise.'' Personnel cuts, 
     office automation, the closing or merging of
      unwieldy agencies, and an anticorruption campaign have been 
     launched.
       The administrative reform programs call for a five percent 
     reduction in the number of government employees, a close 
     watch for corruption, heavy penalties for violations by 
     officials, and less bureaucratic red tape for Taiwan people. 
     Public officials involved in fourteen targeted areas, from 
     handling construction bids to performing judicial duties, are 
     being closely monitored.
       In the political arena, the government has overcome a 
     number of obstacles to promote constitutional reform and 
     established a framework for democracy that should lead to far 
     broader democratization within the next few years. 
     Furthermore, it has introduced an administrative reform bill 
     to establish a clean and effective government. The plan is 
     built on the cornerstones of honesty, efficiency, and public 
     convenience. To achieve honest government, Lien Chan has 
     taken concrete measures and moved simultaneously to eliminate 
     corruption, prevent corruption, and revise laws to ensure 
     that government employees at all levels dare not, cannot, do 
     not, and need not be corrupt.
       In an effort to improve Taiwan-mainland relations, the 
     Government has been devoting itself to the expansion of 
     cultural and academic exchanges, and to building 
     complementary economic relations for the benefit of both 
     sides. Intermediary bodies from Taiwan and the mainland have 
     held talks and negotiations to address problems resulting 
     from people-to-people exchanges. In April 1993 in Singapore, 
     the intermediary bodies signed four historic agreements, the 
     first agreements to be reached by the two sides since 1949. 
     In August 1994, representatives of the two bodies met in 
     Taipei and achieved important breakthroughs after Peking's 
     delegates made concessions by recognizing Taiwan's judicial 
     authority over the fate of airline hijackers from the 
     mainland and Taipei's authority to patrol fishing in the 
     Straits of Taiwan.
       Naturally, Taiwan's economy is critical to the success of 
     all programs. Mr. Lien's economic recovery program has 
     already produced concrete results. Steady recovery and stable 
     growth have been clearly evident since mid-1993, even though 
     the ROC's trade surplus continues to decline. In 1993, 
     Taiwan's economy grew by about six percent. Analysts expect 
     the 1994 economic performance to improve further.
       Yet significant change must be made in the light of 
     economic realities. The Six-Year National Development Plan 
     has encountered a number of problems. Necessary modifications 
     have been made after a thorough review on the basis of needs, 
     priorities, and the availability of resources. Seven hundred 
     seventy-five projects have been reduced to 632, and the 
     original budget of NT$8,238.2 billion has been scaled down to 
     NT$6,029.4 billion. The revised plan is much more realistic. 
     Of the 632 projects, 69 have been completed, and 406 are 
     being implemented. Seventy-four are well into the detailed 
     planning stages and another 30 are on the drawing board. 
     Feasibility studies are being made for 32 projects, while the 
     remaining 21 are yet to be started.
       Lien's pragmatic approach to the ambitious plan for 
     national development has been hailed by many experts as a 
     prudent course toward the conservation of available 
     resources, the reduction of waste, and the establishment of 
     priorities. The review of the National Development Plan 
     ordered by the Premier has revealed that supply and demand 
     can be coordinated and balanced. Problems can be anticipated 
     and resolved and the projected benefits can be realized 
     through comprehensive planning concerning the use of land, 
     manpower, and material resources.
     

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