Tsai supplied draft of biotech bill: speaker

 The China Post Tsai Ing-wen, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), did supply Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) with a draft of a biotechnology bill, the speaker said yesterday morning, in partial confirmation of a fresh cable leak. On Tuesday, media shed light on a WikiLeaks document that alleged Tsai's involvement in promoting biotechnology during her vice premiership. One cable claim is that Tsai drafted a bill to strengthen the industry during her government tenure. If true, the leak adds fuel to partisan fire against the DPP's presidential bid. Tsai is accused of abusing her vice premiership to feather a nest for Yu Chang Biologics Co. (宇昌生技) — a startup she later chaired.

Wong Presented the Bill Wang said yesterday that it is true that then-premier Tsai Ing-wen and Academia Sinica (中央研究院) Director Wong Chi-Huey (翁啟惠) met with him in person to present the "Act for the Development of Biotechnology and New Pharmaceuticals Industry." The Legislative speaker said Wong gave him a rundown of the draft's articles, which proposed stock options for civil servants, protection clauses for biotechnology intellectual property, tax breaks and other state incentives to cultivate industry talent. Wong had emphasized that the government needs a package of total legal support to entice the international community into sinking investment in Taiwan's biotechnology industry. Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) of the National Science Council (國科會) was also present at the briefing. In a Wikileaks cable, Wong was referred to as Tsai's "close ally." Declassified case files from the National Development Fund (國發基金) confirm that Wong was an investor in Yu Chang and was a key negotiator on behalf of the company with Genentech.

No Comment on Charges  Wang said that he — not Tsai — was the actual initiator of the bill, which had been passed to benefit all Taiwan nationals. The role of the Legislative Yuan is to establish sturdy laws, and to this day he believes the biotechnology bill is a boon to the people.

How regulations are used — that's a different matter, said Wang.  "After the Legislative Yuan ratifies the biotechnology regulations, their use is up to the individual company, it's up to the individual person," he said. "As for whether Tsai Ing-wen has other problems with deviations from standard procedure, I don't know and don't understand (the charges), so I can't comment." Wang did not confirm the WikiLeaks claim that Tsai struck a "low-key but close" partnership with him to push the bill. That's what somebody else wrote, he noted elliptically. According to Wang, in 2007 the domestic biotechnology industry was in its twilight, with no future in sight. Today, concrete results speak to the act's ability to stimulate industry growth. Taiwan is now a leading force in new pharmaceuticals. So far, more than 20 local drugs are in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Phase 1 studies, and seven have made it to Phase 3, he said.

Tsai Was Not Vice Premier Then: DPP  The DPP responded yesterday that the alleged meeting did occur, but at the time Tsai was no longer vice premier. The meeting took place in May 2007 after Tsai resigned the government post, said spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) yesterday afternoon. Wong, Chen of the National Science Council, and Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) wished to present the bill to the Legislative Speaker. They invited Tsai to attend the presentation, because she had worked with Wang in her capacity as chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council. The whole thing is just that simple, Chen said. Tsai, part of a spate of cabinet resignations, stepped down from her post on May 17, 2007.