This Act is specially made for the purpose of promoting the Hualien-Taitung Area’s industrial development, preserving its natural ecology and landscape, developing its diverse cultural features, raising the quality of its living environment, and advancing the welfare of its residents.

The “Hualien-Taitung Area” as used in this Act refers to Hualien County and Taitung County.

The competent authorities for this Act are the Executive Yuan at the central level and Hualien County Government and Taitung County Government at the county level.

The main tasks of the central competent authority are as follows:
(1) To draw up a strategic plan for the sustainable development of the Hualien-Taitung Area, and review the plan every four years.
(2) To coordinate, review, monitor and guide construction and development in the Hualien-Taitung Area.

The county competent authorities shall separately or jointly, in accordance with the strategic plan for the sustainable development of the Hualien-Taitung Area, draw up four-yearly overall development implementation plans, covering as follows:
(1) Project targets and scope of implementation.
(2) Tourism and cultural development.
(3) Improvement of indigenous peoples’ living conditions and environment.
(4) Protection of the ecological environment.
(5) Infrastructure.
(6) Industrial development
(7) Transportation development.
(8) Medical service development.
(9) Social welfare development.
(10) Disaster prevention and remediation.
(11) Social order maintenance.
(12) River management.
(13) Education facilities.
(14) Yearly implementation plans and division of work for execution.
(15) Yearly financial plans and budget sources.
(16) Other relevant development matters.
The overall development implementation plans referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be approved by the central competent authority before being implemented.
The overall development implementation plans referred to in the first paragraph shall be revised as necessary to match the strategic plan for the sustainable development of the Hualien-Taitung Area, and shall be subject to rolling review at appropriate times; the procedure for which shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions in the preceding paragraph.

In order to enhance the advantages and features of the Hualien-Taitung Area, the central competent authority may specify focal development industries, and coordinate the provision of low-interest financing, credit guarantees, industry mentoring, talent cultivation, and other inducements or preferential measures for a particular industry’s development.
The competent authorities for stations or related facilities of state-owned public transport systems should plan to retain appropriate advertising space for priority provision, at a preferential price, for use by focal industries in the Hualien-Taitung Area.

To preserve and construct urban and rural landscapes that possess the special features of the Hualien-Taitung Area, the county competent authorities may draw up building and landscape control and reward measures, to comprehensively enhance the building esthetics and cultural features of the area.

To protect the survival and conserve the culture of indigenous peoples in the Hualien-Taitung Area, the county competent authorities shall draw up related plans in accordance with the provisions of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act, and incorporate them into the conduct of implementation projects for overall development; and shall also carry out talent cultivation of indigenous people, and guide and assist indigenous people’s participation in the preservation and operations management of natural resources, to provide related employment opportunities.

The competent authorities at each level shall furnish and employ guidance and assistance to actively encourage talent to move to or return to the eastern region to set up businesses, and shall promote the cultivation of local talent and cooperation between industry and academia.

The Ministry of Education shall allocate a special budget to subsidize schoolbook costs for students with household registration in the Hualien-Taitung Area who are receiving national compulsory education.
Regulations governing the scope, conditions, form and other particulars of the subsidies referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be prescribed by the Ministry of Education.

In order to improve external transport services for the Hualien-Taitung Area, and meet the external transport and industrial development needs of Hualien-Taitung Area residents, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications shall raise rail transport capacity and shorten times between trains, and shall enhance the safety and reliability of public roads.
A comprehensive and well functioning public transport network shall be constructed for the Hualien-Taitung Area, and improvement made to roads and public transport serving indigenous people’s settlements, to provide safe, fast and convenient, user-friendly, reliable and comfortable transport services.

The central government shall annually allocate a budget for meeting the costs, or budget slack for subsidizing, the conduct of implementation projects for overall development and related industrial development.
To achieve the sustainable development of the Hualien-Taitung Area, the central competent authority shall establish a Hualien-Taitung Area Sustainable Development Fund in the amount of forty billion (40,000,000,000) NT dollars, furnished from the following sources:
(1) Allocation from the ten-year budget compilation by the central competent authority.
(2) Allocation from the budget compilation of the county competent authorities.
(3) Interest on the fund.
(4) Donations by private individuals or organizations.
(5) Other income.
Regulations governing the receipts, expenditures, custody and utilization of the Hualien-Taitung Area Sustainable Development Fund shall be prescribed by the central competent authority in consultation with the Hualien County Government and the Taitung County Government.

This Act shall come into force on the date of proclamation.