DPP's Tsai drafted biotech bill: WikiLeaks

The China Post   By Enru Lin--According to WikiLeaks, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen told the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) that she drafted a bill to promote Taiwan's biotech industry during her tenure as vice premier. A thorny issue in the recent Yu Chang case has been whether Tsai violated the "revolving door" clause, by accepting a chairmanship in a company that directly benefited from her vice premiership. Since the outbreak of the case, the DPP has refuted the charge, arguing that Tsai was in the dark about her future role in Yu Chang Biologics Co. (宇昌生技) while still in office. But according to a leaked cable, Tsai made strong efforts to promote the biotech industry during her tenure. In a document dated July 2007 and compiled in "WikiLeaks Taiwan" (維基解密‧台灣), Tsai disclosed her goals in the biotech industry to AIT Director Stephen M. Young. In June 2007, a bill to strengthen Taiwan's biotech drug industry passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan. Tsai said she played a personal role in drafting the bill. Tsai allegedly said that she forged a low-key but close working relationship with Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to draft an act that grows Taiwan's biotechnology industry. Contents of the bill were adopted from a piece of U.S. legislation from 1990. Tsai commended Wang for coordinating the legislative factions adroitly and with prescience, according to the cable. She allegedly named units such as the Ministry of Economic Affairs (經濟部), the Ministry of Finance (財政部), the National Science Council (國科會), and the Academia Sinica (中研院), as members of a team to drive Taiwan's biotech industry. Said Tsai "her team" believes it's important to draw up a package that provides tax incentives and other protective measures to entrepreneurs involved in research and development.

Wong is Tsai's Close Ally: WikiLeaks  The report referred to Wong Chi-Huey (翁啟惠) as Tsai's "close ally," who has rich experience in the biotech industry and intimate ties to the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. The key goal of their partnership was to make Taiwan's new pharmaceuticals competitive on the international market. Tsai discussed plans for overseas travel, to strengthen the support of U.S. scientists and businesses. According to the document, the exchange is the most frank that Tsai has been with AIT in ten years. Yesterday morning Tsai held a press conference, announcing that a grassroots corps will canvass in one thousand fruit and vegetable markets across the nation in the 30-day run-up to the election. She did not address the cable disclosure or accept media query at the event. The DPP campaign office also declined to comment.