A Control Yuan member raised concerns over the emergence of China’s “red supply chain” and the acquisition of Taiwanese businesses by Chinese companies during an inspection tour of the Executive Yuan earlier this week.
Nancy Chen (陳小紅) said that aside from an international economic downturn, another reason the nation’s exports are in decline is the emergence of fast-growing clusters of high-tech manufacturers backed by the Chinese government, which have taken orders away from Taiwanese flat-panel and electronics manufacturers.
Chen said the time has probably come for Taiwan to abandon the contract manufacturing model and look for its next strategic industry.
She also questioned if the Executive Yuan has any substantive plans in this regard.
The Legislative Yuan recently adopted a resolution stipulating that, before a new legislature is formed, all planned acquisitions of Taiwanese businesses by Chinese companies should be frozen, she added.
The Investment Commission would also not be allowed to review plans by China’s Tsinghua Unigroup to buy stakes in Siliconware Precision Industries Co and ChipMos Technologies.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said that the “red supply chain” is a structural problem that would take some time to deal with, according to Control Yuan member Lee Yueh-der (李月德).
On the policy of liberalizing Chinese investment in Taiwan, Mao said the executive and legislative branches should cooperate to establish a coordination and handling mechanism to facilitate industrial development.
According to a statement issued by the Control Yuan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said it would provide local companies with help on how to make use of the Internet of Things and big data to turn price competition into value competition.
The ministry is also to bolster talent recruitment and research and development of local companies in order to help them maintain their technological lead.
Meanwhile, Mao said adjustments to industrial structure and upgrading of exports would also take time.
He said he hopes to create new development opportunities for the biotechnological, medical and agricultural sectors through the government’s “Productivity 4.0” initiative.
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