s plan to build a "Taiwan Park" in El Salvador has been suspended, his ministry will continue to encourage Taiwan manufacturers to invest in the Central American country. "The Ministry of Economic Affairs will continue to encourage Taiwanese entrepreneurs to invest in El Salvador by making the best of a just-inked Taiwan-El Salvador-Honduras Free Trade Agreement (FTA)," Chen said.
Chen, who on behalf of the government signed the trilateral agreement with his Salvadoran and Honduran counterparts May 8 in the Salvadoran capital of San Salvador, added that future investment by Taiwan manufacturers will not focus on any special investment area.
Salvadoran President Antonio Saca, who was also present at the signing ceremony, announced at a press conference that the Taiwan-El Salvador park building project had been suspended after an exchange of notes between the presidents of the two nations.
The construction of the "Taiwan Park" was initiated by Vice President Annette Lu during a diplomatic trip to Central America in 2005, with relevant government agencies, such as the MOEA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the National Science Council, put in charge of planning construction details.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hou Ching-shan said the government originally planned to arrange for companies in Taiwan's textile sector to set up factories in the park, adding that El Salvador also accepted the plan.
After conducting evaluations on its industrial future development, the Salvadoran government decided to give top priority to developing high-tech industries in the planned park, but because few Taiwanese high-tech businesses were willing to invest in the country, the government could not but respect its Salvadoran counterpart's decision to suspend the plan, Hou explained.
Hou further said that El Salvador is still looking forward to more investment by Taiwan entrepreneurs to help boost its economic development.
