Taipei residents have alleged that commemorative products for the Taipei International Flora Exposition which begins on Nov. 6, dubbed by Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) as the nation’s biggest ever international exhibition, are almost all made in China.
Angry residents contacted the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) to complain about the issue saying they were shocked to find the products were made in China, with one resident saying although he originally felt proud about Taipei holding the expo, now he felt ashamed after he purchased some commemorative products to give to foreign friends and found the products were labeled “made in China.”
Residents made the discovery at the Taipei City Government building, which has a booth on the first floor selling products related to Taipei that include flora expo commemorative products such as memo pads, pens, mobile phone accessories and key rings.
Taipei City Councilor Liu Yao-ren (劉耀仁) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) criticized the city for spending more than NT$10 billion (US$312 million) to benefit manufacturers in China.
Large events held by the city government should aim to stimulate the domestic economy, Liu said, questioning why the city government would hand Taiwanese taxpayers’ money to China.
Joining the chorus of criticism, DPP Taipei City Councilor Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) said the expo should aim to create value for the nation and make Taiwanese feel proud. She demanded the city government sell expo-related products made in Taiwan so as not to hurt the feelings of the public.
In response, the expo’s organizing committee yesterday said that more than 90 percent of products related to the expo were made in Taiwan and those made in China were produced by Taiwanese businesses in China.
Committee spokesperson Ma Chien-hui (馬千惠) argued that the majority of companies in traditional industries had moved to China, making it difficult to ensure all expo products were locally made.
“China has become the factory of the world and so it is almost impossible for us to exclude the use of Chinese materials in the products. However, we did make sure all the products were designed by Taiwanese companies,” she said.
About 10 percent of the products were designed and made by Taiwanese companies in China and the committee had instructed the manufacturers to add annotations on the back of the products that the souvenirs were made by China-based Taiwanese manufacturers, she added.
Ma promised to inspect all the products at souvenir shops to ensure their quality and said she would pull any products that failed to meet the committee’s standards.
Ma said the committee commissioned Min Sheng Cultural and Communication Company (民聲文化公司) — a subsidiary of the United Daily News Group — to make the commemorative products for the expo. The company had paid NT$300 million in royalties to the city government and produced a total of 2,100 products, of which 40 are already on the shelves, she said.
Commenting on the response, Liu said it was impossible that the city government was unable to find manufacturers in Taiwan.
He accused the city government of trying to find an excuse for cutting corners.
DEATH THREAT: A MAC official said that it has urged Beijing to avoid creating barriers that would impede exchanges across the Strait, but it continues to do so People should avoid unnecessary travel to China after Beijing issued 22 guidelines allowing its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death “Taiwan independence separatists,” the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday as it raised its travel alert for China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to “orange.” The guidelines published last week “severely threaten the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling to China, Hong Kong and Macau,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a news conference in Taipei. “Following a comprehensive assessment, the government considers it necessary to elevate the travel alert to orange from yellow,” Liang said. Beijing has
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday said that the Chinese Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since late 2022, when restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. The world’s second-largest economy is beset by a debt crisis in the property sector, persistently low consumption and high unemployment among young people. Policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner,” Xi said in a speech at the Great Hall
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military