Despite a government promise to protect domestic industries against the dumping of cheap Chinese products, business leaders yesterday accused the government of lacking effective policies to block illegally imported merchandise from China and to protect local industries.
“Although many bedding products from China are banned from being imported into Taiwan, shipment after shipment are smuggled in, and most can be found in supermarkets,” Taiwan Bedding alliance chairman Huang Kuang-yi (黃光藝) told a press conference at the legislature. “The government opened the door, but no one is guarding it.”
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Pan Meng-an (潘孟安), who accompanied the business leaders at the press conference, said that when the government signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China in June, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) promised to protect traditional industries, which are often in a disadvantaged position.
The ECFA came into force earlier this month.
“However, when we look at the budget for the next fiscal year, the central government’s budget on protecting disadvantaged industries for 2011 is 27 percent lower [than this year],” Pan said. “The government under the leadership of Ma is incapable of blocking the dumping of Chinese merchandise, nor can it actually protect Taiwanese businesses. I wonder if it is trying to help or kill traditional industries.”
Taiwan Ceramic Industries Association consultant Yu Teh-er (游德二) and textile industry operator Hung Kuo-kai (洪國凱) recounted how some businesses were able to import Chinese merchandise without being caught.
“A lot of wholesalers purchase clothing items from China, but since they can’t import clothes from China directly, they register their business in Hong Kong or Macau, and import these Chinese-made clothing items from Hong Kong and Macau,” Yu said. “When shipments of such clothing items come into Taiwan, the tags are altered, but no one is checking them.”
Yu, meanwhile, said ceramic tiles made in China are first shipped to Indonesia and then “imported” into Taiwan.
“Indonesia doesn’t make ceramic tiles, so how can the government check these products if the budgets are cut?” Yu asked.
The previous day, angry bedding makers staged a protest against what they claimed was the government’s failure to stem a tide of illegally imported Chinese-made bedding, which they said was flooding the local market.
Leading the protest outside the Directorate-General of Customs (DGC) in Taipei, Huang asked how Chinese products, which are banned from Taiwan, could be on sale everywhere unless government officials were turning a blind eye.
The protesters proceeded to the Control Yuan to demand an investigation into whether the DGC and the Bureau of Foreign Trade had broken the law by failing to stem the illegal imports.
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝), who joined the protests, said that before signing the ECFA, the Mainland Affairs Council and other government departments had promised to protect traditional industries, with the council giving assurances that it would “guard the gate closely.”
By allowing banned Chinese goods to flood the market, the government was failing to enforce the law, he said, adding that this was tantamount to tolerance for breaking it, and such a government was not fit to remain in office.
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
PENTAGON ASSESSMENT: A US report said that even as China and Russia deepen their partnership, cooperation is hindered by a ‘mutual distrust’ of each other The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as of October had doubled the number of ships and airplanes deployed around Taiwan compared with the previous two years, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) said yesterday, a day after the opposition-controlled legislature voted against reviewing the government’s general budget for next year, including a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.71 billion) special defense spending bill. The legislature’s vote against the Ministry of National Defense’s spending plans was regrettable, as the budget was designed to respond to the developing Chinese military threat, Hsu said on the sidelines of a legislative meeting on the general budget. Defense
RSS