TAIPEI: A comprehensive plan will be released within a month for the development of Kaohsiung City into an air and marine park by creating additional recreational facilities, the government's chief planning agency said yesterday.

Hwang Wang-hsiang, vice chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD), said that the five-year plan, to be released in mid-February after the Chinese New Year, will aim to strike a balance in development between the north and the south.

The goal is to transform the port city into a commercial area like Baltimore in the United States by expanding its services from port trade and business to tourism and recreation, he said.

"There has always been a big development gap between northern and southern Taiwan, and the government is keen to explore the assets of the Kaohsiung area in southern Taiwan," he said. "This will be a flagship project in terms of the long-term development program being drawn up by the government for southern Taiwan."

According to Hwang, the land in the northern area of the Kaohsiung Port will be used to construct recreational and business facilities, while the existing buildings that house metal, petrochemical, and precision machinery industries will be renovated as part of the effort to maintain the port's city's role as an industrial stronghold.

As to a trade and commerce park located near the Kaohsiung Port, Hwang said the CEPD will suggest that the Ministry of Finance make better use of the land, as 250 hectares within the park are government-owned lands that have long been left idle.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 01/13/2010 page2)