Taiwan might lengthen the duration of work visas and open a path to permanent residency for Filipino workers to expand the nation’s migrant workforce, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said.
He made the remarks during an interview with the Manila-based English-language newspaper Philippine Star published yesterday.
As of April, Taiwan was home to 154,000 Filipino migrant workers who made up 21 percent of the legal migrant workforce, Ministry of Labor data showed.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
“The discussion has been under way for some time. And they [Filipino workers] might even be able to apply for permanent residency here in Taiwan,” Wu was quoted as saying.
“That is under discussion, but I won’t be able to give you the details before decisions are made,” he added.
Filipino workers are “an integral part of Taiwanese society” and their presence in Taiwan is appreciated, Wu said.
Manila could consider granting visa-free entry privileges to Taiwanese travelers to reciprocate the proposed extension to Filipino workers, Wu said.
“If the Philippine government can do that, I am sure it will make it so much more convenient and easy for Taiwan to consider the extension of visa[-free entry for Filipinos],” he said.
Taiwan’s visa-free entry program covering Philippine travelers is to expire at the end of next month. The two governments are to re-evaluate the program for renewal, the newspaper said.
Regarding rising tensions between Manila and Beijing, Wu said Taiwan and the Philippines should enter some form of security cooperation, as the two countries face the same threat.
Wu refused to elaborate on the nature of possible security cooperation, saying that he cannot talk about details of possible arrangements, but the issue is “one of the areas we should think about.”
Collaboration in coast guard operations and disaster response are other areas where cooperation is possible, he said.
Taiwan welcomes the US’ decision to bolster the defense capabilities of the Philippines by various means, including establishing new military installations under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Wu said.
Asked if setting up additional US bases in the Philippines could be seen as provocative by Beijing, he said: “What is causing provocation in this region is China’s expansionism.”
Should China attack Taiwan, the Philippines could be the next target in Beijing’s cross hairs, Wu said.
“We think that the best way for us at this moment is for Taiwan and other claimants of the South China Sea to enter into peaceful research of the natural resources or engage in scientific endeavors together or jointly develop the resources,” he said.
Taipei hopes that Taiwan-Philippines relations would improve under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose calls for regional peace and stability were welcomed by many Taiwanese, he added.
“As long as there is a desire on the part of the Philippines, Taiwan will be there to work together with the Philippines,” Wu said, adding that the Philippines is the nation’s closest neighbor.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS