TAIWAN GOVT PUSHES BIOTECH, BUT PRIVATE INVEST CAUTIOUS
March 29/00

 Dow Jones
 By J.R. Wu

 TAIPEI --Money and interest in Taiwan's nascent biotechnology industry
abounds, but hindering the sector's development is a lack of the
private-sector savvy and infrastructure needed to carry out biotech
projects, industry experts said.

 Though the government has big plans to nurture the industry, which has the
potential to replace high technology and Internet as the next sexy sector
for investors, biotech experts point out the island doesn't have proper
safeguards for intellectual property rights, as well as the facilities and
standards required to carry out clinical trials.