Fish caught by vessels bearing Taiwan’s national flag have been classified as products of forced labor, based on the conditions under which the crews work, an annual report by the US Department of Labor said on Wednesday.
The Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor report said that Taiwan’s longline fishing fleet of 1,100 vessels, the world’s second-largest after China’s, employs about 35,000 migrant workers, mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines.
“Similar to crews on Chinese-flagged vessels, crews on Taiwan-flagged vessels face confiscation of documents, long days with little rest, physical and verbal abuse, and lack of payment,” the report said.
Photo: Reuters
Taiwan’s inclusion in the report means that US companies buying fish from Taiwanese suppliers could come under close scrutiny at US customs and the supply chain could be at risk of suspension.
However, the Fisheries Agency yesterday said that the nation’s fish exports to the US from its distant-water catch would not immediately be affected.
The agency said its top priorities are to improve the welfare of migrant fishers, ensure the observance of laws by the fishing industry and to keep the US informed of the nation’s efforts on such issues.
Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Tien-shou (陳添壽) said that the human rights of fishery workers is an intra-agency concern that also involves the Presidential Office, adding that the government in 2017 amended the nation’s laws to comply with the International Labour Organization’s Work in Fishing Convention.
The agency is launching a trial project to install wireless networks on ships, so that migrant workers can remain in contact with their friends and family, Chen said.
“Having the Internet on ships would also allow further transparency of information about what is happening on the ship,” he said.
Fisheries Agency Director-General Chang Chih-sheng (張致盛) said that the government would continue its dialogue with the US.
The nation’s management of its longline fishing fleet has improved significantly over the year and the government has established facilities for rest and recreation in major fishing ports, such as Pingtung County’s Donggang (東港) and Yilan County’s Suao (蘇澳), Chang said.
The government is also collaborating with local welfare and religious groups to provide religious services for migrant workers, he said.
The agency is further looking to amend the law so that the government would be able to prohibit foreign ships from docking in the nation should incidents of crew abuse be proven, he added.
Greenpeace USA senior oceans adviser Andy Shen said that major US retailers, such as Walmart and Costco, and national tuna brands, such as Bumble Bee that are supplied by the Taiwanese fleet would have to assure their customers that they are not profiting from and perpetuating modern slavery on the high seas.
“The companies have a responsibility to use their economic power to change the Taiwanese government’s and seafood industry’s human rights and environmental policies and practices,” Shen said.
Taiwan-based Human Rights for Migrant Fishers urged the government to introduce laws before the end of the current legislative session to enhance the protections and rights of migrant fishers, and to end forced labor and human trafficking on Taiwanese-flagged vessels.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS