Figures released by the MOEA showed that its Investment Commission approved 861 investment cases submitted by overseas Chinese and foreign nationals between January and July of this year, valued at a total of US$8,341.89 million, up 386 percent from the same period in 2005.
In July alone, there were 195 newly-approved cases submitted by overseas Chinese and foreign investors, with the total reaching US$1,396.38 million.
The Investment Commission had said earlier this month that the total value of overseas Chinese and foreign investment in Taiwan for 2006 was expected to set a new record.
Figures also showed the commission approved applications from 37 Taiwanese companies to invest a total of US$431.5 million abroad. For the January-July period, there were 289 approved cases totaling US$2,223.17 million, representing an increase of 38.15 percent.
Taiwanese investment in China also increased 31.38 percent in the first seven months of this year, with 601 cases approved, totaling US$3,943.23 million, including 82 cases in July totaling US$386.97 million.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to top US$16,000 in 2007, officials from the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) predicted Thursday.
The GDP per capita is estimated to stand at US$15,580 this year, up US$289 from the figure posted in 2005, DGBAS officials said, adding that this increase is the basis for the 2007 forecast.
The officials predicted that the overall economy for this year will grow by 4.28 percent, the consumer price index will advance by 1.8 percent, the wholesale price index soar by 5.4 percent, while the per capita gross national product will top US$16,024, with the GDP per capita reaching US$15,580.
They forecast that Taiwan's foreign trade will return to a "normal track" in 2007 with the expansion of foreign markets slowing slightly. Domestic consumption will expand mildly as adverse factors such as the "credit card slave" issue are gradually resolved. Investment in the private sector is also expected to increase slightly next year, with investment in high technology industries continuing to flourish and procurement of passenger aircraft by private carriers increasing.
