Nation’s official GDP growth forecast for 2023 slashed to 2.04% in eight-year low

Nation’s official GDP growth forecast for 2023 slashed to 2.04% in eight-year low

2023-05-26

Taiwan’s statistics bureau has slashed the nation’s GDP growth forecast for this year to 2.04%, an eight-year low. It was 0.08 percentage points lower than a February forecast of 2.12%. Let’s hear from an official.

Tsai Hung-kun
Statistics bureau official
Exports account for the highest proportion of Taiwan’s GDP, at more 60%. Overall, exports have shrunk 7% from the expected values set last year. However, food and beverage services in the first quarter of this year grew 17.4%. Taiwan High Speed Rail revenues in the first quarter also grew 35.1%, with 56.2% growth in April. This may be related to A-Mei holding a concert in Kaohsiung and the K-pop girl group that held a concert in Taiwan. They gave rise to a lot of movement.

Meanwhile, the specter of inflation continues to loom large. The annual growth rate of the consumer price index is projected to be 2.26%, which is 0.1 percentage points higher than the previous forecast. Faced with a lack of momentum in foreign trade, the National Development Council issued a "blue light," indicating recession for April, for the sixth consecutive month.

主計總處下修今年GDP至2.04% 勉強保2

2023-05-26

主計總處公布最新經濟預測，由於第一季經濟負成長，加上外需持續疲軟，今年經濟成長率為2.04%，較2月預測值2.12%，下修0.08個百分點，儘管勉強保2，卻寫下8年新低。

[[主計總處副主計長蔡鴻坤]]
“佔台灣GDP比重最高的還是商品出口，佔GDP超過6成，整個出口是比去年(預測值)大概減少7%，不過(餐飲業)今年第1季成長17.4%，高鐵的營收，今年第1季成長35.1%，4月更成長56.2%，可能跟阿妹在高雄辦演唱會，還有韓國偶像團體來台灣舉辦演唱會，造成許多人潮移動有關”

而通膨陰霾持續籠罩，全年消費者物價指數年增率2.26%，則較上次預測上修0.1個百分點。面對外貿提不起勁，國發會4月景氣信號，也連續6個月，亮起景氣衰退的藍燈。

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Last week, a delegation from Taiwan’s health ministry headed to Switzerland to advocate for Taiwan’s inclusion in the World Health Assembly. Though Taiwan has been excluded from the event once again, the delegation took the opportunity to form closer ties with Swiss politicians. On Wednesday, they visited the Swiss Federal Assembly, and the Bern Town Hall, where local politicians voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the annual health summit.

Taiwan’s delegation on Wednesday went to the Swiss capital, Bern, to visit the Federal Assembly. One lawmaker they met was the head of the Swiss parliamentary friendship group for Taiwan, Lukas Reimann. A reporter asked him to comment on how Taiwanese journalists had been denied press passes to cover the WHA due to Chinese pressure.

Lukas Reimann
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This is unacceptable for me, I think Switzerland as a host country must accept every passport. I feel very ashamed for Switzerland, as a country of neutrality and openness that we don’t tackle the WHO more, because this is unacceptable and has to change.

Earlier this month, the assembly’s lower house passed a resolution calling for closer ties with the Legislative Yuan, in a show of the close relationship between Taiwan and Switzerland. CDC deputy head Philip Lo spoke about the exchanges and experiences of each country during the pandemic.

Philip Lo
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During the pandemic, they did not implement too many infection control measures. The main reason for that is that the people did not support such measures. They didn’t have as much government intervention as other countries.

The delegation later headed to Bern Town Hall. There, they met with Mayor Alec von Graffenried, who visited Taiwan in 2015. He once again showed his support for Taiwan.

Alec von Graffenried
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I think Taiwan should go straight on the way in democratization, respect of human rights and being a role model for the whole of Asia, and the whole of the world. And I think that sooner or later nobody can refuse to include Taiwan in the global family. Taiwan will never be alone.

Hsueh Jui-yuan
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In Swiss politics, supporting Taiwan is not a minority position. Communicating better and engaging more with the Swiss government perhaps could help us join the WHO.

Taiwan has been excluded from the WHA for seven years in a row now. The U.S. State Department on Thursday said it was disappointed with the WHO’s decision, saying that it would continue to support Taiwan’s return as an observer.

Matthew Miller
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We were disappointed that they decided not to do so. We believe that inviting Taiwan as an observer would exemplify the WHO’s commitment to an inclusive health-for-all approach to international health cooperation. And the United States will continue to advocate for Taiwan’s return as an observer at WHA.

Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had issued a statement saying that the U.S. strongly encouraged the WHO to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer in the WHA. It was the third statement of support for Taiwan’s participation since taking office.

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US and Papua New Guinea to sign security pact

The United States and Papua New Guinea have agreed to sign a security pact, part of which is expected to give the United States vital access to the waters of the Pacific island nation. Voice of America’s Ahadian Utama reports from Port Moresby.

U.S. President Joe Biden has shifted attention to the Pacific over concerns about China’s increasing influence in the region, as Beijing has been giving diplomatic and financial assistance to some Pacific nations.

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says agreements with Washington that focus on defense cooperation and maritime matters will be formally signed after parliamentary approval.

James Marape
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Now we’re elevating to a specific defense cooperation agreement, something that is falling short of treaty. And so this has been an ongoing work for some time.

The defense and maritime agreements will allow the U.S. access to waters near the sea routes to Australia and Japan. In return, Papua New Guinea will gain access to U.S. satellite surveillance.

James Marape
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With the U.S. Coast Guard, it now give us an opportune time to access — not just maritime access but satellite access — to illegal fishing, drug traffickers, illegal loggers.

Elias Wohengu, Papua New Guinea Foreign Affairs secretary, led the negotiations and says the pact will not prevent Papua New Guinea from engaging with other nations.

Elias Wohengu
Papua New Guinea foreign affairs secretary
We are within the ambit of the foreign policy expected of Papua New Guinea: friends to all, enemies to none. This agreement does not in any way preclude PNG from engaging with another nation in a future defense cooperation agreement.

Analysts say this pact will raise concerns over U.S.-China rivalry in the region and potentially put Pacific Island nations in the middle of U.S.-China tension. In 2022, the Solomon Islands agreed to sign a security pact with China.

Paul Barker
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Obviously, there comes a point where one has to be careful if those different external players reach heightened levels of tension and PNG and its neighbors can be caught in the midst of it.

Ahadian Utama, VOA News, Papua New Guinea.

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2024 to have only one ‘makeup’ workday, but three fewer long weekends

The Executive Yuan has finalized its work calendar for 2024, and it’s looking very different from this year’s calendar, which has eight long weekends of three days or more. But that comes with a government requirement of working on certain Saturdays to make up for days taken off to form a long weekend. By contrast, next year there will only be one makeup workday, but there will only be four long weekends, instead of this year’s eight. Let’s hear how the plan has been received.

Next month is the Dragon Boat festival long weekend, which will require yet another makeup workday. Some grumbling about this is to be expected, as this year has a total of six weekend workdays on the schedule. That’s set to change in 2024, with only such day.

Member of public
Yes, I think there was a few too many this year. Of course I don’t like it, because you have to work more days.

Member of public
My company doesn’t open on makeup workdays anyway.

The only weekend workday in 2024 will be in February. The Little New Year day is a holiday on Thursday, February 8, which will be made up for by working on Saturday, February 17, after the Lunar New Year Break. The arrangements for 2024 means there will only be four breaks lasting three days of more. That’s the New Year’s Day weekend with three days, the Spring Festival with seven days, the Tomb-Sweeping long weekend with four days, and the Dragon Boat Festival weekend with three days. And they all happen in the first half of the year.

Member of public
I think that this year with all the long weekends is better. Because I can use the breaks to travel abroad. It’s easier to take time off.

An internet user has planned it all out if you want a long break. For the Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Tenth, you can get four days off in a row by taking just one day of leave. On International Worker’s Day and the Peace Memorial Day, you can take two days off to get a five day break. Take three days off if you want nine days in a row during the Tomb-Sweeping break, or 12 days in the Lunar New Year.

Lee Yu-chia
National Association of Small and Medium Enterprise
For companies, this arrangement is fine. In 2023, there are six makeup workdays, which can disturb operations. Workers taking the days off also feel like they are always having to make up for the holidays. So for everyone, planning around them is a whole issue.

Lee Chi-yue
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This arrangement is better for travel agencies. Because if there are too many long breaks, demand for travel is concentrated all over the same period. This way, demand spreads out a little.

Employers and travel agents say they approve of having fewer mandated workdays on weekends. It’s a fine balancing act that everyone has an opinion on.

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Original manuscripts from Taiwan’s “father” of modern literature donated to Tainan Museum

Born in 1894 in Changhua, the poet Lai Ho is hailed as the "Father of Modern Taiwanese Literature." After his death in 1943, he left behind many valuable manuscripts. And now his family has decided to donate hundreds of them to the National Museum of Taiwan Literature in Tainan. This includes an original draft of one of his noted novels. The museum plans to use technology from the Tainan National University of the Arts to make reproductions for daily displays, so that the writer’s ideas will be seen by members of the public.

Lai Ho, dubbed the “Father of Modern Taiwanese Literature,” left behind many valuable manuscripts after his death. In order to preserve these national treasures, his family has decided to donate hundreds of these manuscripts to Tainan’s National Museum of Taiwanese Literature.

Lai Yueh-yen
Laiho Cultural and Educational Foundation
Because of heavy rains in Changhua, the dehumidifiers in the place where the manuscripts were stored became waterlogged. We explained this to the National Museum of Taiwanese Literature and they said they could do the storage themselves.

The handover comes just before Lai’s 129th birthday. The culture ministry presented a certificate of appreciation to his family, thanking them for the long-term preservation of his works, which shed light on a key period in Taiwan’s history.

Shih Che
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I hope that these original manuscripts will get passed down from generation to generation. They are not only literary classics, they also reflect Taiwan’s rise. They are a testimony of Taiwan’s modernization and enlightenment, and can be passed on.

Nikky Lin
National Museum of Taiwan Literature
In the future we can bring these manuscripts to life. We don’t want to just leave them lying somewhere in the museum. We want to use them actively, so that the public can see them.

The museum hopes that even more multimedia cooperation projects can further promote Lai’s literature. The Tainan National University of the Arts is already using realistic reproduction technology to restore eight manuscripts, which has been of assistance to the daily displays at the Lai Ho Memorial Hall.

Luo Hung-wen
Tainan National University of the Arts
The more difficult aspects are that the original manuscripts may have some creases and tears. After processing, we will make a reproduction, and then do more processing by hand. For example, there could still be some tears and rough edges. We’ll compare the reproduction with the original manuscript, and then add annotations.

In addition to scanning the original manuscripts and fine-tuning the printing, the signs of aging on the manuscript have to be recreated by hand. Through the replicas, the original manuscripts can be properly preserved, to keep Lai’s spirit and wordsmithery alive.

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