Orientation for the ChungChangTou Local Economic Forum hosted by National Policy Foundation, was held at Wenying Hall on Shuang 10th Rd., of Taichung City on July 29th where Mayor Hu, Magistrate Huang of Taichung County, Magistrate Jo of Changhwa County, and Magistrate Lee of Nantou County participated in person, as well as President Ho of UMEC and President Ko of Chaiofu Foam Blanks. CEO Hsieh of Wealth Magazine conducted the forum, Former Chair Ma and Deputy Chai Hsiao came to listen to the discussion, and over one hundred people from enterprises and academic fields composed the audience.

　　At the beginning, 4 local administrative directors expressed their opinions about local economic developments, and then experts from enterprises and academic fields provided suggestions. In conclusion, Former Chair Ma and Former Deputy Chair Shiao closed with their construction and economic development policies for the ChungChangTou Region.

　　Mayor Hu delivered his brief speech, constructing his portrayal of the powerful heart of Taiwan; he mentioned that 6 counties and cities in Central Taiwan constituted the heart of Taiwan, abbreviated as HOT to represent enthusiasm, a warm heart, and a hot part when northern Taiwan appeared as the head and southern Taiwan as the feet. He insisted on escaping from the frame of county or city and looking at the Central Taiwan Region from a wider scope. The Central Taiwan Region is centered in Taichung City and extends to Miaoli in the north and Yunlin in the south, all within 1 hour’s driving distance, and with a total population of up to 6 million people. After the dedication of Taiwan High Speed Railroad, one- hour distance can be completed starting from the central Taiwan area, and once orientation of cross strait direct transportation begins, one-hour distance will further include Xiamen, attesting to the location advantage of the central Taiwan area.

　　Taking the inter-connection conference between Taichung City and Taichung County as an example, Mayor Hu demonstrated the power of cooperation. At the Conference every 3 months, Hu considered how to resolve many complicated issues, and the key was ‘I listened to him (Magistrate Huang of Taichung County) about everything’ in order to pursue harmony between City and County. Hu mentioned his slogan ‘mayor as the shop owner’ again; that is, the City shall make a profit. Those who have ever worked as magistrates or mayors would recognize that asking for money for construction projects was the purpose for meeting a magistrate or mayor. Where will the money come from? He believed that the city budget would be relieved if the city were lubricated. The Mayor purposely encouraged Former Chair Ma to be a ‘shop boss’ as president, making profits for the county in the future.

　　Mayor Hu spoke straight forwardly and with humor to remind everyone to “spend their hospital costs in Taichung City with revenues earned from places other than Taichung City”, or “enjoying Nantou, Changhwa, or Taichung Counties during the daytime and coming back to sleep in Taichung City”, eliciting the laughter of the audience.

　　Subsequently, Magistrate Huang of Taichung County, Magistrate Jo of Changhwa County, and Magistrate Lee of Nantou County delivered their personal statements about tourism, agricultural development, and transportation coordination in Central Taiwan. The consensus reached in the symposium was that tourism was the significant industry and demanded cooperation between local and central governments, as well as an association within a common economic environment.