Vietnamese Representative to Taiwan Bui Trong Van yesterday sought to reassure Taiwanese that the Southeast Asian country remains a safe investment and tourist destination, and called on the local media not to exaggerate reports about the recent unrest, saying it has sparked panic and could damage relations between Hanoi and Taipei.
“Repeated TV broadcasts of the protests have caused large-scale panic among people here in Taiwan. I hope everyone can refrain from exaggerating the situation because that cannot help us work together to get through the difficulty facing us,” Bui said in Mandarin at a press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bui said he felt regret and apologized for the damage and financial losses that Taiwanese businesses had suffered because of the work of some “lawbreakers and evildoers” during the protests earlier this week in Vietnam.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The protests were held in the wake of China’s deployment of an oil rig in waters close to the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which are claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam and China. The demonstrations turned violent and many businesses owned by investors from Taiwan, China, Singapore, Japan and South Korea were attacked, looted and destroyed.
More than 1,000 people involved “in the violent and illegal actions” were arrested, which shows the Hanoi government’s determination to enforce the law, Bui said.
The Vietnamese government has promised that those who have broken the law will be charged and severely punished, and that it will “take a responsible attitude in dealing with compensation claims” by Taiwanese investors, he said.
“We have done our best and implemented the necessary measures to restore order and, we will continue to react to illegal actions in this way in the future,” he said, alluding to calls in Vietnam for a nationwide protest tomorrow.
The extent of damage caused to properties owned by Taiwanese investors was more serious compared with investors from other countries, but it was not because Taiwanese-owned firms were the target of the protesters, Bui said.
Asked why Taiwanese-owned businesses were attacked, he said: “It’s not because they [the protesters] could not distinguish between Taiwan and China, but that they were instigated [by some groups] and they acted in an irrational manner. There are lawbreakers in every society. They were not specifically targeting Taiwanese.”
Vietnamese are peace-loving people and are friendly toward Taiwan, Bui said.
“There are about 220,000 Vietnamese in Taiwan, married to Taiwanese, new immigrants, workers and college students. They love to work, study and live here,” he said.
Taiwan is the fourth-largest source of foreign direct investment in Vietnam, with total investments over the past 20 years reaching US$28 billion, while bilateral trade totaled US$12 billion, Bui said.
He refuted the allegation that the Vietnamese government had connived with its people to engage in violent behavior.
The government will assist businesses affected by the protests, help them resume operations as soon as possible and ensure peace and order in the country, he added.
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
South Korea yesterday said that it was removing loudspeakers used to blare K-pop and news reports to North Korea, as the new administration in Seoul tries to ease tensions with its bellicose neighbor. The nations, still technically at war, had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarized zone, Seoul’s military said in June after the election of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. It said in June that Pyongyang stopped transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had become a major nuisance for South Korean residents, a day after South Korea’s loudspeakers fell silent. “Starting today, the military has begun removing the loudspeakers,”
RSS