According to the United Daily News and the Central News Agency, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an was to attend the Executive Yuan meeting on the morning of October 15 to explain his plan to relocate Songshan Airport and build a Taipei AI park. The Ministry of Transportation says a national-level assessment is needed, while the DPP candidate questions the timing.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) was scheduled to attend the Executive Yuan meeting on the morning of October 15 to explain his proposal to relocate Songshan Airport. The United Daily News reported that he was due to arrive at 9:30 a.m. for a session expected to end at 11:00 a.m., where he would discuss the matter with Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and others. One clarification on titles: Zhang Shan-cheng (張善政), who was expected to attend in support, is the mayor of Taoyuan, not an acting premier. The outcome of the meeting was not yet confirmed at the time of writing.
광고 문의 · 300×250What the plan contains
At an October 8 press conference, Chiang announced plans to move the airport and turn its roughly 300-hectare site into a Taipei AI park. The Central News Agency reported that about 100 hectares would host an AI industry cluster, about 110 hectares a large central park, and about 90 hectares an international sustainable-living community. Chiang said the project could generate about NT$12 trillion in output, 65,000 jobs and 35,000 residents.
Transport proposals include extending Minzu East Road to Neihu, studying southbound links through Guofu Memorial Hall, Daan, Gongguan and Zhonghe, and an east-west line between Shilin and Beitou. Chiang said the trip from Taipei to Taoyuan Airport takes about 36 minutes and argued that Taoyuan Terminal 3, due in 2027, and a third runway due in 2033 could absorb Songshan traffic. He gave no relocation date, saying the city should begin preparations now in coordination with the central government.
He also said height restrictions around the airport have long constrained the area, and that relocation would allow redevelopment of about 570 hectares of aging districts worth roughly NT$18 trillion. These figures are the city government's own estimates and have not been independently verified.
Reactions from the government and parties
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said Songshan serves international routes to Tokyo Haneda, Seoul and Shanghai, cross-strait services, and outlying-island and eastern routes, and also hosts Air Force deployment and an air rescue unit. It said a policy affecting the nation's mid- to long-term development must be assessed carefully from a national perspective. Defense Minister Koo Li-hsiung (顧立雄) was reported to have said military missions and defense resilience come first and that lawmakers from the outlying islands and the east should be consulted.
DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said relocation has been discussed for years and involves military considerations, and asked why Chiang, who represented the area as a legislator for about a decade, was stating a position only now. He noted that Chiang had earlier called similar proposals by DPP candidates hasty and that the project would not finish until 2033, but said discussion is welcome and should be taken up in the mayoral debates. KMT figures countered by citing Koo's past remarks in a DPP primary that Songshan's future could be considered once the Taoyuan MRT opened, arguing the DPP has shifted its position.
More steps are scheduled. The Taipei City Council has agreed across party lines to hear a special report from Chiang on October 21, and the Legislature's Foreign and National Defense Committee plans to hear from Defense Minister Koo and Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai. With the elections about 45 days away, policy review and campaign politics are likely to remain intertwined for some time.
