Chinese state-sponsored online job banks have created interfaces that require Taiwanese to register personal information, which would result in that information being obtained by the Chinese government, academics said yesterday.
The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) and the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) stipulate that Taiwanese online job banks are not allowed to post job vacancies in China, or they would face fines of NT$100,000 to NT$500,000.
However, a slew of Chinese online job banks — including zhaopin.com (智聯招聘), Ahighpin.cn (智聯卓聘), lagou.com (拉勾網), 51job.com and zhipin.com (Boss直聘) — allow Taiwanese to sign up for accounts using a cellphone, which means they do not have to be in China to look for jobs and can have interviews online.
Photo screengrab from the Internet
Taiwanese wanting to use the Chinese job banks are required to select “Taiwan, China” when registering their location, which acknowledges Beijing’s “one China” principle, academics said.
China is compromising Taiwanese sovereignty in every possible way and is seeking to extend its governance to Taiwan by imposing its view that “Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory” through the Internet, National Tsinghua University Institute of Sociology associate professor Shen Hsiu-hua (沈秀華) said.
“While not having direct rule over Taiwanese, [China] is essentially ruling Taiwanese at home and in China through the Internet,” Shen said.
“People who have little or no sense of the threat and value the convenience brought by the Internet are put in danger of being monitored by the Chinese government, even though they are in Taiwan,” she said.
Chinese online job banks are supported by the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, as they need to have government connections before they can start operations, which is why their Taiwanese counterparts failed when they tried to launch their services in China, Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology associate research fellow Lin Thung-hong (林宗弘) said.
All data entered into Chinese online job banks are linked to Beijing’s databases under the direct control of the Chinese Communist Party, which creates a “political file” for each Taiwanese they monitor, Lin said, adding that the only Taiwanese who are sheltered are interns working for Taiwanese companies at branch offices in China.
If Beijing says that the political record of a Taiwanese is tarnished, it would seriously hurt their chances of receiving a promotion, Lin said.
The number of Taiwanese working as cadets in offices or branch offices set up by companies in China has decreased from 430,000 in 2014 to about 400,000 last year, he said, citing Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics data.
The advantages of working in China are diminishing due to the negative effect the US-China trade war has had on the Chinese economy, he said, adding that job prospects there are bleak.
People thinking about working in China should consider this, as well as the increased political risks they would face, he said.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
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DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old