Taipei, Aug. 11 (CNA) Premier Sean Chen and other government officials met Saturday with industry representatives in an effort to find solutions to the challenges faced by local businesses, attract more investment, increase exports and devise ways of integrating Taiwan into the regional economic bloc.

The meeting, the first in a series of five, seeks to find a "solution-oriented” approach to existing problems, Chen said in his opening speech at the Executive Yuan.

The government has an "initial plan”for boosting the country’s economic growth but it needs to hear the opinions of business leaders before the plan can be finalized, he said.

The three-hour closed door meeting was attended by more than 40 senior government officials and representatives from industries such as information and communication technologies (ICT), textiles, finance and industrial equipment.

Through such meetings, Chen said, he hopes to establish "pathways that are more adaptable to future international economic and trade development.”

The premier said Taiwan is lagging behind in terms of free trade agreement networks and needs to take immediate action to avoid exclusion from the world trade system.

The goals of the meetings are to find ways to strengthen Taiwan’s cooperation with the international community, attract foreign investment, raise export volume and push for inclusion in the regional economic integration, said Wu Ming-ji, deputy minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development that organized the forums.

(By Nancy Liu)
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