Taiwan candidate, industry seek relaxation of 'green belt' width for special economic zone

A candidate for Changhua County magistrate, Chen Su-yue, met with local industry representatives to discuss the "Water Golden Five" special zone project. Business owners urged the project's acceleration and a relaxation of the "isolation green belt" width requirement, which currently mandates at least 1.5 meters. They hope this will allow existing factories to achieve legal status.

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The "isolation green belt" width requirement does indeed present practical difficulties.

Chen Su-yue acknowledged the practical difficulties posed by the green belt regulation. She stated that the central government's Ministry of Economic Affairs is expected to propose a guidance plan by the end of November. This plan, after consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture, will be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval.

The "Water Golden Five" special zone project has been in progress since 2016. Business owners are eager for its approval to usher in a new era for the industry and boost traditional manufacturing. The current regulations may force some factories to demolish parts of their structures to meet the green belt requirement, potentially impacting production capacity.

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The central government's Ministry of Economic Affairs is expected to propose a guidance plan by the end of November. After communicating and reaching a consensus with the Ministry of Agriculture, it will be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval.

Representatives from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Metal Industries Research and Development Centre attended the meeting. The Ministry of Economic Affairs confirmed that the specific factory guidance group is developing a plan to address industry challenges and propose feasible supporting measures by the end of November. The Ministry of the Interior's Vice Minister, Tung Chien-hung, expressed hope for positive outcomes by year-end.

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The industry owners are eager to obtain international orders and hope to legalize their "farmhouse factories." However, if their existing structures were built before the regulation, meeting the "isolation green belt" width requirement of at least 1.5 meters might necessitate demolishing parts of the factory, inevitably affecting production capacity.