The Presidential Office yesterday said it would “pay more attention” to ensure that the uniforms worn by its volunteer tour guides are not made in China.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said there were no legal problems with procurement and that the office did not realize the uniforms were made in China until after the products were delivered.
“We will pay more attention in future and take public concerns on such matters into consideration,” he said.
Lo said the office did not specify in the tender requirement that the uniforms must be made in Taiwan, adding that the bidding process was legal and that all bidders were Taiwanese companies.
Taking public sensitivities into consideration, however, it would try to strike a balance between legal procedures and public perceptions, he said.
Lo did not promise that the Presidential Office would reject uniforms or other products that are made in China, saying it would deal with each case on an individual basis.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) reported yesterday that the uniforms of volunteer tour guides at the Presidential Office were made in China.
Some volunteers said they did not expect made-in-China products to be so expensive and that they had to pay half of the cost of the uniform with their own money.
The report quoted a whistleblower as saying that he doubted whether the administration could deliver on its promise to protect the country’s weaker traditional industries when made-in-China goods could make it into the Presidential Office.
With both sides likely to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) next month, the administration has said it would not allow the import of more agricultural products and workers from China.
Regarding the co-payment of the uniforms, Lo said the Presidential Office merely followed precedent and that the former Democratic Progressive Party administration did the same thing.
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