News Briefs

Guatemalan President Visits ROC

Guatemalan President Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arevalo arrived in the ROC on August 30 to begin a six-day official visit. With the President were Foreign Minister Mario Palencia Lainfiesta; Sara Ivonne Mishaan Rossell, Minister of Special Affairs; and the Chief of Staff to the President, General Edgar Augusto Godoy Gaitan.

President Lee Teng-hui led the heads of the five Yuan and other cabinet officers to the Sungshan Airport for a military welcoming ceremony. The Ambassadors of various nations to the ROC were also in attendance.

On the 31st, President Cerezo and his party visited the ROC Presidential Office. Presidents Cerezo and Lee discussed cooperation in economics, agriculture, and paper pulp. President Cerezo pointed out that ROC economic growth is a model for all the developing countries. Guatemala hopes to gain technology, experience, and other assistance and exchanges from the ROC President Lee noted that the ROC is willing, within the limits of its abilities, to assist Guatemala as much as possible. President Lee also awarded a medal to President Cerezo.

On the morning of September 4, the two heads of state signed a joint commmunique. Afterwards, President Cerezo held a press conference at the Grand Hotel. He indicated that the results of this trip were excellent. He saw the economic development of the ROC as well as problems and solutions likely to arise; it also caused him to be even more confident about Guatemala's implementation of democratic politics.

At 3:30 in the afternoon on September 4, President Cerezo received a military send-off, ending the six-day visit.

GNP Will Reach US$20,000 by the Year 2000

Frederick Chien, Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, predicted in a conference at the Executive Yuan on September 6 that the per capita GNP in the Taiwan area would reach US$20,000 by the year 2000, and that trade volume would reach US$350 billion.

Mr. Chien said the government has stressed economic development in the past, and neglected cultural and social construction., In the future it will try to compensate, and looks forward to achieving the following indicators by the year 2000:

* Price increases will not exceed 3.5% annually;

* The economic growth rate will reach 6.5% annually;

* Per capita GNP will reach US$20,000;

* Trade volume will reach US$350 billion.

Mr. Chien said that if these economic indicators can be achieved, the R.O.C will become the world's tenth largest trading nation.

Communist Chinese Pilot Chiang Wen-hao Brings His Plane Safely to Kinmen

Chinese Communist Air Force pilot Chiang Wen-hao flew his Number 40307 F-6 fighter (MiG 19) to freedom. He took off from the Lunghsi airbase in Fukien province, and landed at the Shangyi airbase in Kinmen at 2:16 on the afternoon of September 6.

Chiang Wen-hao is a First Lieutenant flying officer in the 145th regiment of the 49th division of the Chinese Communist Air Force. He is from Leshan in Szechwan province, and is 24 years old. He is the first pilot ever to bring his F-6 to Kinmen.

Reporters from the Soviet Union to Come to Taiwan

On September 21, the ROC formally approved a visit by five senior Soviet reporters. This is the first visit by any Soviet group to the ROC since the government came to Taiwan in 1949.

The Executive Yuan Decides to Extend the Limits on Public Housing Loans

A conference of the Executive Yuan on August 31 passed amendments to Article 5 of the "Methods for Public Housing Loans." There are three important points:

First, the period in which there is payment of interest without repayment of principal will be extended from three to five years, and those taking loans will be able to freely choose the period of years to repay.

Second, the amount of loans will increase from the current 70% of purchase price to 85% of purchase price.

Third, the time limit on the loans will be extended from fifteen to twenty years.

These changes are to assist middle and low income families to aquire public housing or for those who build their own homes.

Turnover Value on the ROC Stock Market for a Single Day Reaches World Record

On August 28, the total value for exchanges for a single day on the ROC stock market established a world record, reaching NT$194 billion (US$7.5 billion).

The National Situation Data Bank Will Provide Services in the United States

The Govermnment Information Office of the Executive Yuan has formally established the National Situation Data Bank in the U.S. and held a formal opening ceremony in Taiwan on September 1, which was presided over by GIO Director-General Shaw Yu-ming.

The establishment of the data bank is to strengthen the spread of information internationally and to rapidly provide objective information on the national situation to international society. Director-General Shaw said in opening remarks that the U.S. scholarly community and media commonly use computers to undertake data collection and write their reports. Therefore the GIO has decided to match this trend and provide a data search service.

The GIO has selected the Information Times Company, the one most commonly consulted by the American media and scholarly community, to establish the National Situation Data Bank.

Chinese Communist Air Force pilot Chiang Wen-hao flew his Number 40307 F-6 fighter （MiG 19） to freedom. He took off from the Lunghsi airbase in Fukien province, and landed at the Shangyi airbase in Kinmen at 2:16 on the afternoon of September 6.

The GIO has selected the Information Times Company, the one most commonly consulted by the American media and scholarly community, to establish the National Situation Data Bank.