Taiwan vows tough action against green-energy crime to attract global investment

Taiwan is opening its arms to renewable-energy investment, but Premier Cho Jung-tai says illegal activity must be driven out first. Speaking at a forum on preventing green-energy crime in Changhua County’s Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, Cho pledged that the government would protect lawful businesses and punish wrongdoing.

“Taiwan has a responsibility to the world,” Cho said, arguing that the country must not allow energy shortages to disrupt industrial and technological development. Countries everywhere are expanding diverse forms of clean energy, he said, while Taiwan must ensure its own industry has the energy supply needed to keep pace.

Cho said renewable-energy development had faced major resistance in the past. He accused illegal actors, along with some officials at central and local levels and some elected representatives, of bringing unlawful practices into the sector. Such conduct, he said, cannot be allowed to delay the national green-energy policy any further.

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The government will do everything possible to protect what is legal and crack down on what is illegal.

The government will convene officials and industry representatives in cities and counties across Taiwan. The meetings will bring together prosecutors, police, investigators and anti-corruption authorities to hear about obstacles facing businesses and seek ways to resolve them. More than 100 people attended the Changhua forum, including Economic Affairs Minister Kung Ming-hsin, Justice Minister Cheng Ming-chien, lawmaker Chen Hsiu-pao, Changhua prosecutors and representatives from industry.

Cho said Taiwan’s offshore-wind installations rank third globally for additions this year and seventh worldwide in cumulative capacity. International companies are looking to Taiwan’s wind resources, he said, and the government wants to turn them into a clean and secure foundation for investment. The forum was intended to signal to people in Taiwan and abroad that legitimate renewable-energy development is welcome, while illegal conduct will face action.

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Taiwan has a responsibility to the world.