Traditional industries do not fear competition from China, but it must be on an even playing field, business people said at a meeting with Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) yesterday.
But the business people urged the government to be mindful of traditional industries when signing any economic agreements with China.
“Tea farmers are not afraid of competition from China. We are confident about the quality of our products. But how can we compete when there are many counterfeit Taiwanese teas coming from China?” asked Chen Chung-chien (陳聰鑑), a tea industry representative.
Chen also criticized the government for breaking its promises to help tea farmers, such as an unfulfilled vow to subsidize irrigation water and land.
Furthermore, he said that China-based tea farmers had an advantage because China did not levy property taxes and offered them free irrigation.
Businessman Yu De-er (游德二) from the ceramics industry said Chinese ceramics makers have lower overhead because they do not need to worry about environmental concerns or offer good employment conditions to their workers.
“I agree that the market should be allowed to develop freely, but this is not a game of survival of the fittest. The government must intervene when its people are being unfairly dealt with,” he said, adding that he was confident his industry could take on competition from China.
Businessman Huang Kuang-yi (黃光藝) from the bedding industry urged the government to negotiate with hypermarts such as Carrefour or RT Mart to set up special “made in Taiwan (MIT)” sections featuring only local produce.
The government must also crack down on businesses that mislabel their products to mislead consumers into thinking they are buying MIT products, he said.
Huang said that as far as the bedding industry was concerned, its products were mostly for domestic consumption; therefore, the signing of an agreement to avoid double taxation such as the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) would be useless to his industry.
Lai, however, said that the purpose of an ECFA was to promote fair trade and to safeguard the rights of Taiwanese industries by preventing discrimination.
Even though some industries feel that a provision against double taxation is unhelpful, “maybe in 10 years time you will decide to export your products and by then, you will be able to benefit from this policy,” she said.
Meanwhile, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Secretary-General Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) said yesterday that the third meeting between his organization and the Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) could be held at the beginning of next month, which is earlier than expected.
Kao returned from Shanghai on Thursday night after negotiations with Beijing to discuss the progress of preparations for the third meeting between SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).
“Basically, the Chinese have agreed with our proposal to hold the third Chiang-Chen meeting in Nanjing. If all goes well, we do not rule out holding the meeting before early May,” Kao said.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
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