Changhua water-hardware industrial park approval promised by year-end
Taiwan's government has promised to finish reviewing a long-delayed industrial park plan in Changhua by the end of the year, good news for small factory owners stuck in legal limbo.
- President Lai Ching-te told a packed business forum that the interior ministry's review of the Changhua water-hardware production cluster will not drag past this year.
- The plan would finally fix a long-running problem: small factories built illegally on farmland, an issue first targeted by a policy launched eleven years ago.
- Changhua's county chief thanked Lai and pushed for another rezoning plan she says is needed to turn the county's fortunes around.
- Lai pitched drones and military supply chains as the next opening for Taiwan's traditional manufacturers, as countries build supply chains that cut out China.
- He pointed to Taiwan's booming chip and AI server business as proof buyers see the island as a trusted, rule-of-law partner.
Outlook: The review is due to wrap by December, with local politics heating up ahead of the county chief race.