Vice President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday hit out at China over its probe of major Apple supplier Foxconn, saying that Beijing should “cherish” Taiwanese companies and not put pressure on them during an election campaign.
Foxconn is facing a tax probe in China, two sources close to the company said on Monday, confirming a report in China’s state-backed Global Times.
The sources said they believed it was disclosed for political reasons tied to Taiwan’s elections in January, with the company’s founder, Terry Gou (郭台銘), running as an independent candidate for president.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
China should “cherish and treasure” Taiwanese companies, given how much they have helped that country’s economic development, Lai told a news conference in Taipei when asked about Beijing’s probe into Foxconn.
“During an election, China does not need to put pressure on Taiwanese companies, demanding they declare a position, or even that they directly support a candidate they prefer,” said Lai, who is the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate.
Taiwanese companies will lose confidence in China and if they feel scared, they will shift production elsewhere, which would be a big loss to China, he said.
Foxconn, which is known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co in Taiwan, has been pushing to diversify its manufacturing base outside China to places such as India, which one of the sources said might have contributed to Beijing placing pressure on the company.
Gou has not commented on the probe, with his campaign team referring questions to Foxconn and saying that he is no longer involved in the company’s day-to-day running, although he remains a big shareholder.
Foxconn said in a statement on Sunday that legal compliance was a “fundamental principle” of its operations, and it would “actively cooperate with the relevant units on the related work and operations.”
Taiwan frequently accuses Beijing of seeking to exert pressure, whether military or economic, to sway the outcome of its elections to ensure an outcome favorable to China, whose government has not commented on the Foxconn probe.
One senior Taiwanese security source, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, told reporters that the government’s assessment was that China’s senior leadership was not happy with the Global Times story.
This is because the probe has been jumped on so quickly by the DPP, of which Lai is chairman, to accuse China of seeking to interfere in the election in a bid to win more support from voters, the source said.
Authorities in China have not yet confirmed the probe, which has not received further media coverage within the country.
Speaking at a separate event, Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who is second to Lai in many polls, said that China, “which claims to be a world power,” should explain the investigation.
“The biggest problem in this matter is that the Taiwanese government has no way to communicate with the mainland on behalf of Taiwanese companies,” Ko said.
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard
BOOST TO SPORTS? The Executive Yuan said that the amendment was introduced to attract professionals to Taiwan, and increase the incentives for naturalization The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed on third reading an amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) that would reduce the minimum residency period required for highly skilled professionals to apply for naturalization from three to two continuous years, with a minimum of 183 days in Taiwan each year. The 183-day requirement does not apply if an eligible applicant has lived legally in the territory of the Republic of China for more than five continuous years. Taiwan’s professional basketball leagues are expected to benefit from the amendments, which would allow them to recruit more players from overseas. Prior to the passage of the amendment, the
REPORT: Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining loitering munitions matching the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 or the Anduril Altius-600, ‘Foreign Policy’ said Taiwan is seeking US-made kamikaze drones in an apparent concession to pressure from Washington to focus on asymmetric capabilities to defeat or deter a Chinese attack, Foreign Policy said in a report on Wednesday. Taipei has expressed an interest in obtaining AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions or other devices with similar capabilities, it said, citing four sources familiar with the matter commenting on condition of anonymity. The Switchblade 300 is a tube-launched drone designed for attacking ground troops, while its larger sibling, the Switchblade 600, could be used to destroy tanks and entrenched troops. Ukraine has utilized both systems extensively in its fight against