DPP Lawmakers Visit Chiayi to Drive High-Tech Aerospace Job Growth

Today, three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators from Chiayi County and City gathered at the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) Minsiong Aerospace and Drone Industrial Park for the groundbreaking and inauguration ceremony of the Minsiong campus. At the ceremony, they unanimously stated that the completion of the park will bring an opportunity for industrial upgrading to Chiayi, attract relevant high-tech companies to set up operations, create a large number of job opportunities, and further build a "more prosperous and progressive Greater Chiayi." Their presence was not only an affirmation of local development, but also symbolized the collaborative partnership between the central and local governments in industrial planning.

The Minsiong Aerospace Park is planned by the NCSIST and is one of the key national projects promoting aerospace and drone technology. In recent years, the Taiwan government has actively deployed the aerospace industry to enhance defense autonomy and civilian technological innovation. Related policies include amendments to the Statute for Industrial Development of the Aviation Industry and defense technology industrialization programs. Minsiong Township is located in central Chiayi County with convenient transportation, close to National Highway No. 3 and the main railway line, possessing the infrastructure required to develop a large-scale industrial park, and was thus selected as the cluster center for this aerospace and drone industry.

Chiayi has long been dominated by agriculture and traditional manufacturing, facing challenges of brain drain and an aging industrial structure in recent years. There have been several past attempts to introduce high-tech parks, such as the Chiayi Science Park and biotechnology industrial clusters, but with limited results. The establishment of this aerospace park is expected to drive upstream and downstream supply chains, including enterprises in material processing, system integration, and software and hardware research and development, providing thousands of technical and manufacturing positions. This will have a positive effect on upgrading the skill structure and wage levels of the local labor market, while also expected to attract cooperation from universities and research institutions to cultivate domestic aerospace talent.

On the political front, the public statements of the three legislators demonstrate the DPP's active deployment in local infrastructure, striving for voter support through major construction projects and responding to local expectations for economic revitalization. Although no explicit responses from other political parties have been seen at this stage, discussions on industrial policy in the Legislative Yuan in the past show that cross-party cooperation remains possible on issues of enhancing defense technology and local development. The local government has already proposed complementary measures, including land acquisition, infrastructure optimization, and talent cultivation subsidies, to ensure the smooth operation of the park in the coming years.

Looking ahead, the Minsiong Aerospace and Drone Industrial Park is not only a new economic engine for Chiayi, but also an important node in Taiwan's overall aerospace industrial chain. As global demand for commercial drone applications and defense continues to grow, if Taiwan can achieve breakthroughs in R&D and manufacturing, it will enhance its international competitiveness while opening up export markets for domestic enterprises. If this industrial layout can be successfully implemented, it will bring momentum for the structural transformation of Greater Chiayi, further narrowing the gap with the technology hubs in northern Taiwan and achieving the goal of balanced regional development.