Internet users in Vietnam are planning anti-China marches nationwide tomorrow, sparking concern that they could lead to another round of violent protests targeting Chinese, Taiwanese and other foreign-owned businesses.
After rioting left more than 20 people dead as of Thursday, several Taiwanese businesspeople said they will “certainly” withdraw from Vietnam if the demonstrations cause more riots.
The call for a new round of protests over Beijing’s deployment of an oil rig in waters claimed by Taiwan, China and Vietnam came on social media Web sites, including Facebook.
Taiwan’s representative offices in Ho Chi Minh City, near the center of Tuesday’s riots, and in Hanoi, the capital, said they had conveyed their concerns to the relevant local agencies.
Vietnamese authorities responded by saying that they would not agree to the demonstrations. The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security said that if protesters insist on going ahead with the marches, it will strengthen patrols to maintain order.
Rioting over the past two days had many Taiwanese firms considering pulling the plug on their investments in Vietnam. Industry insiders estimate that as many as half of the businesses could leave Vietnam if things escalate tomorrow.
“I wouldn’t believe there were really rioters and bandits if I didn’t see it for myself,” said Tsai Chuan-yi (蔡川義), a Taiwanese expatriate working in Vietnam, who returned to his hometown in Miaoli on Thursday.
Tsai said he was considering withdrawing his investments from the Southeast Asian country.
Tsai said a number of Vietnamese protesters had demanded that he stop work at his garment factory in Binh Duong Province on Tuesday afternoon. They were accompanied by a gang of motorcyclists who forced their way in, damaged the facility’s security room and smashed windows.
Between 5pm and 11pm, eight mobs of more than 1,000 people each showed up at the factory, Tsai said.
He said it would probably cost NT$1 million (US$33,100) to repair the damage, but the work stoppage would cause even greater financial losses.
“This may be the key issue of concern,” he said.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
RSS