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`Pan-blues' oppose skilled labor limit

"I see no need for the government to enact any new legislation which would only cause apprehension among local industry executives and high-tech personnel."

Pang Chien-kuo, PFP legislator

Opposition lawmakers yesterday voiced their concerns about planned legislation to restrict skilled science and technology workers from taking employment in China, warning that the move could force outstanding talent out of Taiwan.

The lawmakers issued their warning at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Science, Technology and Information Affairs Committee.

The meeting was originally held to screen the National Science Council's (NSC's) budget plan for space technology development, but legislators focused their questioning on the soon-to-be-unveiled drafts of regulations on the protection of science and technology.

The NSC is scheduled to finalize, by the end of this month, draft legislation on the protection of Taiwan-developed high-tech expertise and on skilled sci-tech workers intending to work in China.

PFP Legislator Lee Yung-ping (李永萍) said it seems to her that Taiwan is entering a "sci-tech martial law" era by restricting the flow of talent and expertise to the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

In her view, Lee said, passage of the draft bills into law would not help raise Taiwan's employment rate, but would only restrict local sci-tech workers' job opportunities and even force top-notch experts out of Taiwan.

To her knowledge, Lee said, some Taiwan-owned companies in China have decided to stop recruiting people from Taiwan in order to avoid the trouble that will ensue if the proposed restrictions are passed into law.

"Several other companies are even helping skilled high-tech workers intending to work at their mainland plants obtain foreign citizenship," she noted.

In response, NSC Chairman Wei Che-ho (魏哲和) said the government's plan to legislate the new statutes is mainly aimed at protecting Taiwan's industries.

"The new legislation would not cover all industries nor would it restrict all high-tech talent," Wei said.

He added that the new bills would primarily regulate certain sensitive core technologies that are critical to Taiwan's future economic development and may affect Taiwan's national defense and diplomatic interests.

Wei stressed that the NSC is still soliciting opinions from various social quarters and will coordinate with other relevant government agencies in drafting the proposed legislation.

"We certainly will take into account the possible effects that would be caused by the new legislation and will make every possible effort to minimize the negative impact," he added.

Another PFP legislator, Pang Chien-kuo (龐建國), said Taiwan's current laws are adequate enough to protect sensitive core technologies from flowing abroad.

"I see no need for the government to enact any new legislation which would only cause apprehension among local industry executives and high-tech personnel," Pang asserted.
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