Seeking to diversify Taiwan's sources of foreign workers, officials from the Council of Labor Affairs (
"Mongolia's government appreciates our worker-protection regulations very much and is willing to cooperate with us .... We think that importing workers from Mongolia is quite feasible," Kao said at a press conference yesterday.
Critics, however, charged that the plan was merely an attempt to win political points by making deals with a country that was formerly Chinese territory.
"The government uses imported foreign workers as a diplomatic tool, especially since Mongolia was once Chinese territory," said Chuang Miao-tze (莊妙慈), secretary-general of the Committee for Action for Labor Legislation.
Kao, reacting to the criticism, said that his only concern is Taiwan's need for workers and whether a deal with Mongolia would fit in with current labor policies.
To date, Taiwan has signed formal agreements to import workers with five countries. A formal deal with Mongolia would require the Cabinet's approval. Mongolia has signed no formal international agreements to export workers.
"Importing workers from other countries would increase our sources of foreign workers so that Taiwan's immigrant labor market does not become the exclusive preserve of just five countries," said Kuo Fang-yu (郭芳煜), director-general of the CLA Employment and Vocational Training Administration, who was with the group of six officials that visited the country.
Taiwan currently imports workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The Taiwanese officials were invited by the Mongolian government to its capital, Ulan Bator, to attend National Day celebrations on July 11 and to evaluate the plan to import Mongolian workers.
Kao added that aside from Mongolia's cooperative attitude, a well-educated work force and the country's low crime rate are additional reason for enthusiasm over the worker plan.
Kao emphasized, however, that Taiwan would continue to limit the number of imported workers to about 300,000.
The council has been researching the importation of Mongolian workers for several months. It plans to invite other Cabinet departments involved in the issue to discuss the plan in the coming weeks.
Mongolia was a province of China until 1921, when, with backing of the Soviet Union, it won independence.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) in February revised the bylaws of the Statute Governing Relations between the People of Taiwan Area and Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) to exempt Outer Mongolia's citizenry from any lingering diplomatic doubts, when Taipei finally recognized the Mongolian People's Republic as an independent country.
Taiwan currently has trade ties but no diplomatic relations with Mongolia.
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