Taiwan and India yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on migrant workers, the Ministry of Labor confirmed in a news release.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, Taiwan’s de facto embassy, inked the agreement with its Indian counterpart, the India Taipei Association (ITA).
The ministry’s comments came hours after Chinese-language media reported that a labor agreement had been reached.
Photo: AP
The two nations inked the MOU via teleconference and pledged to conduct further talks on policy details, marking an advance in bilateral economic cooperation, the ministry said.
Representative to India Baushuan Ger (葛葆萱) and ITA Director-General Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav have signed and exchanged documents toward finalizing the agreement, which is in sight, but has not been completed, it said.
The MOU stipulates that Taipei would decide the number of migrant workers and types of industries, New Delhi would handle recruitment and training, and that employment and border movements would be governed by the laws of both countries, it said.
Further details, such as where the workers would come from, qualification standards and recruitment methods are to be determined in future talks, the ministry added.
Negotiations on opening Taiwan to migrant workers from India began in 2020, but were shelved because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.
The ministry would present the agreement to the Legislative Yuan for ratification following its completion and draft supporting measures, it said.
An aging population and a falling birthrate have boosted demand for foreign workers, especially for labor-intensive work, beyond what Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand can supply, the ministry said.
Employer groups and lawmakers have urged labor officials to open new sources of migrant workers, it said.
More than 18 million Indians work abroad and are known for their skills, the ministry said, adding that they are primarily employed in construction, manufacturing, domestic labor and agriculture, which matches Taiwan’s needs.
Germany, Italy, France, Singapore, Malaysia and Middle Eastern countries have established migrant worker agreements with India, it said.
Last year, Japan inked an agreement to open the country to Indian workers. South Korea is planning to do the same and Israel is making plans to increase the number of Indian workers in its economy, the ministry said.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
RSS