Monday, February 20, 2017

Headline News The Heritage Foundation, Intelligent Community of the Year. achieved its best ever ranking, Taoyuan earned recognition for its ROC President Tsai details climbing three spots to the 11th place project to optimize the city’s existing measures to accelerate out of 180 economies. With a score wireless network services and economic development of 76.5 out of 100, up 1.8 points from expand the number of free Wi-Fi hot During a meeting with last year, Taiwan was categorized as spots. impressed the judges representatives of Taiwan’s major “mostly free” along with 86 other with its medical and palliative care business associations on 14 economies, including the UK and the network program, which aims to link February, ROC President Tsai US who came in 12th and 17th senior and health care facilities Ing-wen said that the government is respectively. Of the 12 benchmarks through the city’s Smart Health Cloud doing its utmost to build a business used by the index to assess an Platform. This isn’t the first time environment for fast-tracked economy under the policy areas of Taiwanese cities receive accolades industrial upgrades, promote its New government size, open markets, for their efforts to modernize, as Southbound Policy and maintain regulatory efficiency and rule of law, and were named cross-Strait peace so that Taiwan Taiwan did particularly well in Intelligent Community of the can walk out of its economic business freedom, scoring 93.4 and Year in 2006 and 2013, respectively. predicament. According to Tsai, ranking 4th in the world. regulatory easing is essential in Cultural News building a business environment that Taiwan Lantern Festival fosters innovation and investment. In officially opens in Yunlin this regard, two bills governing On 11 February, the 2017 Taiwan foreign talent recruitment and Lantern Festival officially opened in financial technology innovation are when President Tsai being prepared. Ing-wen lit the central theme lantern, Taiwan also outperformed most other a 23-meter high phoenix, to the economies in government spending, delight of tens of thousands of property rights and trade freedom. visitors. Describing Taiwan’s economy as one of the richest in Asia, the report credited this to the strength and New fiscal policies will also play a resilience of local SMEs, adding that role in bolstering economic the private sector benefits from a development, Tsai said, adding that relatively well-developed commercial the Cabinet will unveil a series of code and open-market policies infrastructure projects next month. facilitating the free flow of goods and The festival is divided into several She also called on the private sector capital. areas, including one showcasing the to play its part in driving the country’s International News cultures of new immigrants from five economic growth, urging businesses Southeast Asian countries, as well as to invest in key areas and develop Two Taiwan cities named another area featuring traditional products and services focusing on among world’s top 7 Taiwanese glove puppetry. The main energy, ageing society, urban intelligent communities venue for the festival is a 40-hectare housing renewal, and smart Taoyuan and Chiayi were named site in Huwei, with a supplementary applications. among the world’s top 7 intelligent 10-hectare site in Beigang, making communities by New York-based Economic News this the largest lantern festival for International Community Forum, many years. It is estimated that more Taiwan achieves best ever which recognizes cities that use than 10 million visitors will attend the ranking in global digital tools to foster local economic 2017 Taiwan Lantern Festival. economic freedom index and social development. Taoyuan, In the annual ‘Index of Economic Chiayi and the other locations in the Freedom’ compiled by US think tank top 7 will now vie for the title of

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