Traditional industries do not fear competition from China, but it must be on an even playing field, business people said at a meeting with Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) yesterday.
But the business people urged the government to be mindful of traditional industries when signing any economic agreements with China.
“Tea farmers are not afraid of competition from China. We are confident about the quality of our products. But how can we compete when there are many counterfeit Taiwanese teas coming from China?” asked Chen Chung-chien (陳聰鑑), a tea industry representative.
Chen also criticized the government for breaking its promises to help tea farmers, such as an unfulfilled vow to subsidize irrigation water and land.
Furthermore, he said that China-based tea farmers had an advantage because China did not levy property taxes and offered them free irrigation.
Businessman Yu De-er (游德二) from the ceramics industry said Chinese ceramics makers have lower overhead because they do not need to worry about environmental concerns or offer good employment conditions to their workers.
“I agree that the market should be allowed to develop freely, but this is not a game of survival of the fittest. The government must intervene when its people are being unfairly dealt with,” he said, adding that he was confident his industry could take on competition from China.
Businessman Huang Kuang-yi (黃光藝) from the bedding industry urged the government to negotiate with hypermarts such as Carrefour or RT Mart to set up special “made in Taiwan (MIT)” sections featuring only local produce.
The government must also crack down on businesses that mislabel their products to mislead consumers into thinking they are buying MIT products, he said.
Huang said that as far as the bedding industry was concerned, its products were mostly for domestic consumption; therefore, the signing of an agreement to avoid double taxation such as the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) would be useless to his industry.
Lai, however, said that the purpose of an ECFA was to promote fair trade and to safeguard the rights of Taiwanese industries by preventing discrimination.
Even though some industries feel that a provision against double taxation is unhelpful, “maybe in 10 years time you will decide to export your products and by then, you will be able to benefit from this policy,” she said.
Meanwhile, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Secretary-General Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) said yesterday that the third meeting between his organization and the Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) could be held at the beginning of next month, which is earlier than expected.
Kao returned from Shanghai on Thursday night after negotiations with Beijing to discuss the progress of preparations for the third meeting between SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).
“Basically, the Chinese have agreed with our proposal to hold the third Chiang-Chen meeting in Nanjing. If all goes well, we do not rule out holding the meeting before early May,” Kao said.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS