The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has asked the Vietnamese government to protect Taiwanese investors and their businesses at a time when Vietnam is experiencing one of its most serious waves of labor strikes in recent years, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂) said yesterday.
Fielding questions at the legislature's Foreign and Overseas Compatriots Affairs Committee, Kau said that officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have met with Vietnam's representative in Taipei, Hoang Rhu Ly, to discuss the protection of Taiwanese businesspeople operating in Vietnam, as well as their interests there.
Kau said officials stressed the importance of Taiwanese investment to Vietnam's economy, and told Hoang that if the Vietnamese government does not deal with the strikes properly and quickly, this will have an adverse impact on the channeling of Taiwanese funds into Vietnam in the future.
"The possibility that the strikes might worsen can't be ruled out," Kau said.
The foreign ministry officials also told Hoang that, if necessary, the government will ally with authorities in the US, Japan and South Korea to jointly voice their positions on the workers' strikes in Vietnam, Kau said.
According to statistics released by the Vietnamese Department of Planning and Investment, Taiwan was the largest foreign investor in Vietnam as of the end of last month.
Taiwanese manufacturers implemented 1,408 investment projects in Vietnam totaling US$7.93 billion in value last year.
A total of 25 Taiwanese businesses located in Vietnam's southern provinces of Phu Yen and Tay Ninh as well as Ho Chi Minh City have reportedly been affected by the recent wave of strikes that started late last year with Vietnamese workers demanding higher pay.
Kau said the foreign ministry hopes that the strikes will come to an end as soon as possible.
The Vietnamese government has reportedly intervened in the matter and announced that the minimum wage for local workers would be raised starting Feb. 1.
also see story:
25 firms affected by strikes in Vietnam
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS