Kaohsiung's Perspective After the "Statute Governing the Establishment and Management of Free Trade Ports" 高雄的遠景 在通過自由貿易港區設置及管理條例之後
Kaohsiung has become more beautiful! The landscapes along the Love River and the city's residential areas have been beautified and embellished. New cultural attractions such as Urban Spotlight, Great Plaza for Civic Art, Singuang Pier, Kaohsiung Flower Market, and Illuminant Bridge have caused people to look at Kaohsiung again with new eyes. The City Government's plan to turn Kaohsiung's airport and harbor into free trade ports will open up a new opportunity for developing Kaohsiung's economy to mark the age of globalization.
New Construction
Along with its recent effort to beautify the environment, the City Government is embarking on plans to make Kaohsiung a better place for industrial operations. The Central Government has drawn up a construction program in which it plans to spend NT$500 billion over 5 years. More than NT$50 billion is allocated to major construction budgets in Kaohsiung: NT$21.5 billion for relocating the Red-Haired Harbor Village, NT$2.1 billion for the Kaohsiung MRT, NT$8 billion for Weiwuying National Theater. The construction program also includes the proposal of "Building Nansing Free Trade Port Area and Evaluating the Replacement of Hsiankang International Airport with Nansing Intercontinental Airport."
Mayor Frank Hsieh indicated that after the adoption of the "Statute Governing the Establishment and Management of Free Trade Ports," Kaohsiung will become the most liberalized city in the island with the greatest development potential. The City Government is planning to offer incentives for businesses to increase their competitiveness.
While people have always considered Kaohsiung to be a city of heavy industries, with the stinking and filthy Love and Cianjhen Rivers as well as poor air and water quality, however the city is in fact undergoing a dramatic transformation. The government has done a terrific job in beautifying and rehabilitating the Love and Cianjhen Rivers. Air and water quality has also been improved dramatically. Kaohsiung is now the only city on the island implementing post-ozonation sterilization. Drinking water has become palatable. As for the problem of air pollution, the government expects to reduce the poor air quality rate to 7% by 2004. This reduction will allow Kaohsiung to enjoy the same air quality as low-polluted cities like Penghu and Hualien.
The Central Government presented a policy to build up Kaohsiung and Taipei's competitive edge. The Kaohsiung City Government's policy also reflects its determination to fulfill this goal.
Mayor Hsieh brought up an idea of "New Maritime Silk Road". He pointed out that many Japanese and western enterprises invest in China because of its huge market. Foreign companies all want to be part of this trend; however, investing in China still includes many risks such as corruption, policy instability, and a poor legal system.
Taiwanese businessmen paid a huge price investing in China. Their foreign counterparts can avoid the same mistakes by building innovation, operation, and information centers in Taiwan. They can use China as a manufacturing base while the R&D and processing of high-end products stay in Taiwan. An ideal labor division model would be foreign investment and technology, Taiwanese innovation and operation, and Chinese production.
Given this division of labor, Taiwan would be able to fully merge into the global economy. Taiwan could take advantage of the current China fervor to raise its own visibility, thus reducing the risk of being marginalized. Once Taiwan becomes the center of the "New Maritime Silk Road", Kaohsiung's free trade ports will be extremely crucial. Capital, technology, labor, and merchandise from all over the world will have free access to Kaohsiung, a significant gateway to the Chinese market.
New Advantage
The passage of the "Statute Governing the Establishment and Management of Free Trade Ports" will enable both Taiwan and Kaohsiung to raise their status in the international economy. Real estate in Kaohsiung is comparatively cheaper than that of Taipei, a great advantage in attracting manufacturers to invest in Kaohsiung.
It is understood that the Council for Economic Planning and Development has positioned Kaohsiung as a "global operation and management center." Under this developmental guideline, Kaohsiung is expected to work out a "twin harbor" plan as well as programs to build free ports and operation centers.
Foreign experience shows that the building of free trade ports will increase a harbor's profits and foreign exchange revenues, attract investment, create jobs, facilitate technology transfer, and therefore energize the local economy. In the future, if Kaohsiung can learn from this experience and build a free port in Kaohsiung Harbor, more local enterprises will be willing to keep their businesses in Taiwan.
One of the advantages for Kaohsiung Harbor to become a free trade port lies in its mature port regulations. The free port will be subject to the existing Kaohsiung Harbor regulations in which Customs controls the movement of goods, vehicles and personnel. Also, the autonomous operators of the free trade port have to work closely with Customs. This kind of cooperation will strengthen the free trade port's role as the "Offshore Transshipment Center.
Taiwan High Speed Rail will begin to provide service in 2005.It's service will determine a city's destiny. Only competitive cities can attract people and investment. Mayor Hsieh hopes that all major construction programs will be completed by 2005, so that Kaohsiung will be able to remain competitive.
Taiwan's first free port will soon be built in Kaohsiung. Kaohsiung Harbor will open its door to goods from Southeast Asia and all over the world to transship here in Kaohsiung.
New Silk Road
Mayor Hsieh's "New Maritime Silk Road" concept, in which Taiwan is the medium for foreign trade to enter the Chinese market, will help Taiwan avoid being marginalized. Once foreign enterprises have their innovation and operation centers in Taiwan, Taiwan will be more secure, for our stability decides foreign trade's prosperity.
The "New Maritime Silk Road" concept is centered in Taiwan. The huge Chinese market attracts many overseas businesses. Since we cannot stop Taiwanese and international businesses from moving to China, we then have to reposition ourselves as the "gateway" to the Chinese market. If Japanese and western enterprises locate their innovation and operation centers in Taiwan, making the best of Taiwanese business talents before they advance to China, they are more likely to be profitable.
Under this concept, Kaohsiung plays an even more important role. The passage of the "Statute Governing the Establishment and Management of Free Trade Ports" will provide Kaohsiung with a competitive edge.
In recent years, Mayor Hsieh has launched many municipal plans in effect putting the "New Maritime Silk Road" concept into practice. The establishment of free trade ports in Kaohsiung will increase the city's competitiveness. The City Government expects to turn this industrial harbor into a new commerce and trade integration park. Establishing free trade ports is necessary to realize this goal. They are key to Kaohsiung's competitiveness and can prevent Kaohsiung from being marginalized in the current China fervor.
愛河水岸景觀改造、城市居住空間美綠化後，高雄變美了！高雄一步一步地在改變，城市光廊、市民藝術大道、新光輪渡站、花卉市場、光雕橋等，處處驚艷。海空雙港計畫、自由貿易港區設置，則將啟動高雄經濟發展的契機，迎接全球化時代的來臨。
新建設
高雄市近年來在進行空間改造的同時，也著手強化都市產業機能。中央規劃的「五年五千億新十大建設」方案中，與高雄市相關的重大建設經費超過五百億元，包括：紅毛港遷村二一五億元、高雄捷運二一○億元、衛武營國家戲劇院八○億元，及高高屏三縣市積極爭取的「建置南星自由貿易港區及評估小港機場遷建南星洲際機場」計畫。
謝長廷市長指出，高雄在自由貿易港區條例通過後，將成為台灣最自由、最有發展潛力的城市，市府並制定多項優惠措施，來提升投資者的競爭力。
很多人對高雄還存在過去的刻板印象，如「重工業城市」、「愛河、前鎮河髒臭」、「空氣污染」、「水質不好」等。但事實上，高雄市明顯正在轉型中，市府加強河川整治工作，自來水水質與水量都有著顯注的改善，成為全國唯一採用臭氧消毒的自來水，水質已經非常順口，愛河、前鎮河的整治與美綠化更是有目共賭，其他如空氣污染率的大幅降低，預計於民國93年，高雄市的空氣品質不良率將會下修到7%，藉時將達到與澎湖、花蓮等低污染縣市一樣的空氣品質。
中央提出「南北雙核心」政策，是希望建構高雄成為另一個核心，也就是南台灣的中心城市，亦正是高雄市府施政的大方向。
謝市長提出「海洋新絲路」理念指出，日本、歐美國家很多企業都到中國投資，因為中國市場大，外國企業都希望趕上這波投資風潮。但中國的法制比較落後，貪瀆嚴重、政策不穩定。
台商到中國投資的經驗，付出很大的代價，外資可以不用再付出同樣的代價，先以台灣為基地，設立研發中心、運籌中心、資訊中心，中國市場純粹作生產基地，高級的加工或研發則設在台灣。亦即外國的資本、技術，與台灣的研發、運籌及中國的勞力生產結合起來，可以做很好的分工。
在這樣的大架構前提下，台灣未來可成為世界分工的一環，不再居邊陲地位，並在這波中國熱中提升自己的重要性。當台灣成為「海洋新絲路」或「台灣新絲路」時，高雄的自由貿易港區地位就非常重要，因為高雄是入口站、是窗口，世界各國的資本、技術、人員、貨物，都可以自由在高雄進出。
新優勢
自由貿易港區條例通過後，台灣與高雄的未來定位將會繼續提升，高雄的不動產價格比台北便宜二分之一至三分之一，更是吸引廠商到高雄投資的利基。據了解，在政策上，經建會已將高雄市的未來發展定位為「全球運籌管理中心」，並希望高雄市在此主軸下，規劃雙港計畫、自由貿易港區或營運總部。
依據國外自由貿易港區的設置經驗，高雄港如能設置自由貿易港區，將增加港口的收益、吸引投資、增加外匯所得、創造就業機會及技術移轉，並活絡產業經濟活動，藉以吸引企業根留台灣。
至於高雄港成為自由貿易港區的優勢，則包括高雄港自由貿易港區都在現有的高雄港管制區域中，符合海關對人員、貨物及車輛進出控管的要求；此外，區內業者也都以海關的規定辦理自主管理，並可帶動境外航運中心功能的提升。
民國九十四年高鐵就要通車，高鐵通車是對城市的大發展或沒落一大考驗，如果城市有競爭力，就可以吸引人潮、資金，謝市長希望高雄市能儘量在九十四年前完成重大建設，確保高雄市的競爭力。
全台第一個自由貿易港區將在高雄市誕生，高雄港將敞開大門，歡迎東南亞、全球各地貨物到高雄港轉運。
新絲路
謝市長提出的「海洋新絲路」概念，即以台灣作為外商進入中國市場的中繼站，台灣就不會成為邊陲位置，當外商將營運、研發中心放在台灣，台灣命運就與外國企業相結合，台灣的安全也能獲得保障。
「新絲路」是以台灣為定位，中國市場是非常有誘惑力的大市場，台灣無法阻擋台商及世界性的企業前往大陸，台灣應該在這個趨勢下，自我重新定位為「外商進入中國大陸的中繼站或入口」。日本與歐美國家若能在前進中國前，以台灣為研發中心或營運中心，用台灣有經驗幹部，再進入中國投資，成功機率較高。
而高雄在「海洋新絲路」概念下，更是相當重要的角色定位，在自由貿易港區條例通過後，將提供高雄更多有利的競爭要素。
近幾年謝市長推動的高雄市政建設，就是與「海洋新絲路」概念相結合，而高雄設置自由貿易港區，將有助提升高雄市的競爭力。高雄計畫從原來的工業港區轉型為多功能經貿園區，高雄以自由貿易港區等特區方式實現後，將可提昇高雄市和台灣的全球化競爭力，免於在世界這一波中國投資熱潮中被邊陲化。