TAIWAN MINISTER PROJECTS ECONOMIC BOOST FROM DEREGULATION.

TAIPEI, Sep 1 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's private investment and consumption indices are expected to rise in the first half of next year following the deregulation of trade and investment across the Taiwan Strait, Minister of Economic Affairs Yiin Chii-ming said Sunday.

In an interview with the CNA to mark the new Kuomintang administration's 100th day in office, Yiin said there is no specific way to bolster the sluggish domestic economy because Taiwan, as an open economy, is vulnerable to the global economic slowdown and cannot resist the pressure of oil and commodity price hikes.

Taiwan's 2009 national economic growth was forecast at 5.08 per cent -- lower than the 6 per cent target set by President Ma Ying-jeou during his election campaign, according to a report released Saturday by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics.

The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) reported recently that the monitoring indicators flashed "blue" in July for the first time since the outbreak of SARS in 2003, signaling a continued slowdown of the economy.

Moreover, Taiwan's export orders in July showed only 5.52 per cent growth year-on-year, the slowest in over five years, with export orders from China posting a meager 1.73 per cent growth compared with the same month a year earlier, according to statistics issued by the government.

Commenting on the figures, Yinn said that the government faced many challenges, such as soaring oil ...