Maroc - TAIWANTODAY.TW - Top News - 01/Feb 00:00

NDC Minister Yeh outlines plan for 2026

National Development Council Minister Yeh Chun-hsien said Taiwan will accelerate economic growth and strengthen competitiveness in 2026 amid global political and economic uncertainty and ongoing supply chain restructuring.   He made the remarks at a year-end news briefing Feb. 3 in Taipei City. Yeh said the council projects economic growth of 4.11 percent in 2026, with per capita gross domestic product exceeding US$40,000.   According to the minister, the NDC is promoting the Ten Major AI Infrastructure Projects, which aim to generate NT$15 trillion (US$474 billion) in output, create 500,000 high-paying jobs and establish three international-level laboratories by 2040.   To optimize the startup ecosystem, the NDC launched the Startup Bloom—Entrepreneurship Alliance Competition in August 2025. The program attracted nearly 3,000 teams competing for more than NT$300 million in funding to accelerate the growth of domestic startups.   Yeh said the NDC is also implementing the National Talent Competitiveness Jumpstart Program and has amended the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals to ease rules for overseas talent. The council also leads interministerial delegations to the U.S. to hold job fairs and attract skilled workers.   Under the Executive Yuan’s Trillion NT Dollar Investment National Development Plan launched in 2024, the council is guiding private capital into public infrastructure projects. More than NT$33 billion from private enterprises has been invested in 150 construction projects, the NDC said.   The council has established two overseas startup bases, one in Silicon Valley and the other in Tokyo. The Silicon Valley base has helped 13 companies secure orders, raise funding and partner with universities such as Berkeley and Stanford, while the Tokyo base has assisted 20 firms entering the Japanese market, with six receiving subsidies of 100 million yen (US$637,271) from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the minister said.   The government will continue working with domestic businesses to promote industrial upgrading at home and abroad, Yeh said. (POC-E)   Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw