Gift packages from the Taipei City Government to World Masters Games competitors included souvenirs made in China, city councilors said.
Competitors received packages that included smartwatches that were difficult to use and required users to use apps from its retailer, Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said, adding that the watches were made in China, in contravention of government regulations.
The watches’ retailer is listed as JSmax Co in Tainan, but it is the same as a China-made smartwatch available on Shopee, Lin said.
Photo: Ho Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Taipei City Councilor Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) of the Democratic Progressive Party also said coffee cups in the gift packages were falsely labeled, with its country of origin shown as “supervised in Taiwan, made in China.”
Elected representatives passed bylaws stating that “World Masters Games products, souvenirs and official items must not use China-made goods,” Yen said.
Other items in the package are missing labels or have incomplete information, which contravenes the Commodity Labeling Act (商品標示法), she said.
There are no instructions for the souvenir plastic water bottles either, in contravention of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), which requires that containers provide information on the item’s materials and heat-resistant temperature range, she added.
The councilors accused Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of negligence and raised questions about firms selling Games-related souvenirs and items online.
Taipei City Councilor Lin Chen-yu (林珍羽) of the Taiwan People’s Party at a city hall meeting yesterday questioned Chiang about the city government spending NT$3 million (US$99,374) to develop an app for the Games’ participants and audience.
“We received numerous complaints about the app not working, being very difficult to use and lacking updated information,” Lin Chen-yu said. “It is a big waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Chiang said he has heard about the unauthorized selling of Games-related items and that he has tasked officials to look into it.
He also agreed that contractors are not allowed to use China-made products, adding that he would pursue legal action against firms that contravened the signed agreement and government regulations.
Chiang apologized for errors in billboards, which misspelled the city as “Taiipei,” other English-language mistakes in the Games’ promotion and apps, and poorly translated names on the tags of athletes and volunteers.
The World Masters Games’ opening ceremony is set for tomorrow evening.
People are invited to join a street parade at 5:30pm around Taipei City Hall. Traffic control is to begin in the morning before the start of events at the Taipei Dome.
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