A report that a Taiwanese-financed factory based in China was looted by a local mob revealed the importance of China signing an agreement with Taiwan to protect China-based Taiwanese businesses, a Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official said yesterday.
"Our chairman, Joseph Wu (
A report yesterday suggested that a mob had looted a China-based factory invested in by Taiwanese manufacturer B. B. Battery Co (
According to the report, a group of protesters gathered at the factory to protest what they claimed was damage to local fishermen's livelihood caused by waste water discharged by the Taiwanese battery maker into surrounding waters.
Due to the local government's reluctance to take protective action, the company has suffered a loss of dozens of million of yuan, and has been forced to close down its operations temporarily, the report said.
An unnamed member of Guangdong's Taiwan Merchant Association (TMA) was quoted as saying that the B. B. Battery Co had been besieged by several thous-ands of unruly local villagers claiming that the company has caused water pollution jeopardizing local aquatic industries.
The anonymous TMA member quoted the B. B. Battery Co's CEO, identified only by his surname Su, as saying that the company's waste water met the local authorities' requirements, and the company should not be falsely accused of being the source of sea-water pollution. Su demanded that the mob or the local government provide evidence to back up their claims.
Su promised to stop the company's operation at the time when the incident occurred and accepted an immediate investigation by the government. But that did not pacify the local villagers. Since these villagers were not able to show any concrete evidence, Taiwanese businesspeople cannot help but suspect that the whole incident was manipulated by other organizations.
There were reportedly very few police deployed at the scene of the incident, and they were unable to restrain the angry mob. Su, at the scene, sensed that the riot might get worse, and he quickly sought help from the deputy secretary and mayor of the Chaozhou City government to send for a stronger force of armed police to control the situation and end the villagers' threatening behavior.
Despite Su's request for help, the government offered no response, which caused the already severe situation to become even more critical. Thousands of people lead by youngsters entered the company, looting goods to an estimated value of at least 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million), which has forced the B. B. Battery Co to close down temporarily.
It is reported that the Taiwan Merchant Association in Guangzhou has made an emergency report to Guangdong's Taiwan Affairs Office Chief Gan Zhaosheng (甘兆勝) and Beijing-based Sound of Taiwan magazine (台聲雜誌) to make the incident known to government officials all over China. Su is expected to fly to Beijing soon to deal with the issue.
B. B. Battery Co was founded seven to eight years ago in China by a businessman of a renowned food corporation in Southern Taiwan. This China-based battery corporation occupies hundreds of hectares and has seven thousand to eight thousand employees.
Though B. B. Battery Co has made a profit in recent years, it has since 1999 been included in the waste-water pollution list by the Guangdong government and has been frequently inspected. The company increased its capital to more than US$9 million last year, but is now facing a huge loss because of this incident.
also see story:
DPP whip condemns Chinese over looting of Taiwanese-owned factory
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft