Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) yesterday said that Taipei and New Delhi are to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) before the end of this year allowing for Indian migrant workers to come to Taiwan.
The Ministry of Labor is still in talks with India on when the agreement would be signed, Hsu said on the sidelines of an event in Taipei for participants of the upcoming WorldSkills Asia Competition.
Her remarks came after a source last week said that the two sides had almost completed initial discussions on the MOU and that the signing was scheduled for the end of the year to help address a labor shortage.
Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei Times
The source, who declined to be named, also said that Taiwan and India had been negotiating the agreement since 2020, but that talks had been stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some reports have said that Taiwan could open its doors to as many as 100,000 migrant workers from India, but Hsu said the number was still being considered as it depended on the needs of industries and the qualifications of the workers.
After the MOU is signed, working-level meetings would be held to iron out the details, she said, indicating that once they are finalized, there would be an official announcement on the deal.
At a news conference on Thursday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Arindam Bagchi said that he hoped the migrant worker MOU would be signed as soon as possible, as the pact is expected to benefit both parties.
“Negotiations by their very nature tend to not have a finite timeline,” Bagchi said. “But we hope that they will be concluded in due course and that it will soon be possible to benefit from this mobility partnership.”
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS