Patent rights and trademarks of many renowned Taiwanese agricultural products have been infringed upon by Chinese traders, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator said yesterday.
The infringement of trademarks of local products like Kukeng coffee and Chihshang rice was seriously undermining the rights of local farmers, DPP Legislator Lin Yun-sheng (林耘生) said.
He called on the DPP administration to take strong action.
Lin claimed trademarks for famed products such as wine from Puli, Hsinchu rice noodles, Hsiluo soy sauce, Tungting oolong tea and Tungkang seafood had been registered by Chinese traders with the Beijing authorities.
Lin said that Taiwan and China are members of the WTO and that disputes over trademarks and patent rights should be dealt with under the WTO framework.
Nevertheless, the Chinese authorities had evaded talks with their Taiwanese counterparts in international forums, Lin added.
Huang Pei-hsun, a section chief from the Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) under the Council of Agriculture, said the agency would sponsor a ministerial meeting to work on ways to resolve the matter.
The Mainland Affairs Council and other government agencies would be present at the meeting, Huang said, adding that they would consider sending representatives from the tea industry to China with government assistance to seek protection for their products.
Council official Chen Chun-hung said that if Taiwan and China resume dialogue, the council will help farmers seek protection for their products in China.
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Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”