Many China-based Taiwanese businesspeople have found themselves stuck in China because of recent compulsory quarantine measures put in place by Taiwan's government.
"We understand the reason behind these measures," said Ho Fang-wen (
"However, given the fact that we are required to stay home and not go anywhere and do anything, it is a bit of a nuisance," he said.
"Many Taiwanese businesspeople I know have unwillingly decided to postpone their trip back to Taiwan," Ho said, whose association has 300 members on its books.
The government announced compulsory quarantine measures on Monday in a bid to halt the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The measures require that all residents and travelers arriving from China must be held in isolation for 10 days.
Guangdong Province, located next to Fujian Province, has seen the majority of reported SARS cases in China and is thought to be the origin of the outbreak.
Another China-based Taiwanese business leader, Chen Hsin-hsing (陳信興), said that many China-based Taiwanese businesspeople he knows have decided to stay put despite planned vacations.
"Many of us go to Taiwan every 45 days," said Chen, chairman of the Taiwanese business association in Chungshang City, Guangdong Province.
"But if we visit Taiwan now we will be required to undergo compulsory quarantine and then, whoosh, there goes almost two-thirds of our vacation," Chen said in a phone interview.
"Therefore, rather than wasting vacation time, many people I know here have decided to postpone their visit to Taiwan until later," Chen said.
Chen added that, in lieu of personal visits, videoconferencing systems have become the favored means of communicating with business contacts.
Asked to comment on the SARS situation, both Chen and Ho commended the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) for providing them with information concerning SARS prevention and controls.
The SEF is a quasi-official agency that serves as the sole civil organization authorized by the Taiwan government to conduct cross-strait negotiations and affairs with China-based Taiwanese businesspeople.
"When China was still unwilling to share SARS information and details, the SEF faxed us prevention and control information and kept us well informed of steps taken by the [Taiwan] government," Ho said.
While saying that local Chinese authorities have stepped up SARS-prevention measures since the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control was fired and Vice Premier Wu Yi (吳儀) took over the job of SARS control, both Chen and Ho said that they did not rely solely on Chinese efforts to fight the virus.
"We use our own money to disinfect our factories as well as provide facial masks, vitamins and other resources for our workers," Chen said.
According to the SEF, there are approximately 70 Taiwanese business associations operating in China.
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