Liao has continued to insist on his campaign promise to decide whether to allow the Bayer plan to proceed by holding a local referendum. This has caused Bayer to suspend plans to invest in Taiwan and also sparked off a political debate about referendums and industrial policy.
廖永來堅持兌現選舉支票，將以公民投票的結果決定德國拜耳公司在台中港的投資案，已使拜耳暫停對台投資，進而掀起國內政壇對於公投以及產業政策的辯論。