A delegation led by Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) is heading to Vietnam today to negotiate over damage sustained by Taiwanese businesses during the recent anti-China protests there.
During the planned four-day visit, the delegation is to discuss compensation to investors under the bilateral investment protection agreement both countries signed in 1993, Shen told a press conference at the Executive Yuan.
Shen declined to unveil the list of Vietnamese officials the delegation is to meet with in Hanoi.
Photo: CNA
Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said that meetings “were all set up,” but both sides preferred not to disclose the schedule.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said 224 Taiwanese businesses suffered losses, including 18 whose facilities were set ablaze by rioters, after protests in Vietnam that erupted after China deployed an oil rig near the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which are claimed by Taiwan, China and Vietnam.
They included 175 in Binh Duong Province, 41 in Dong Nai Province, six in Ho Chi Minh City, one in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province and one in Ha Tinh Province, the ministry said.
Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the government would seek to file a united claim seeking compensation for the damage caused to Taiwan-owned businesses with Japan, South Korea and Singapore because protesters also destroyed some factories owned by their nationals, but Shen said yesterday that Taiwan would talk to Vietnam first.
The delegation is composed of high-ranking officials in charge of investment, taxation, insurance, loans, labor, credit guarantee funds and other areas.
“We hope that we can decide how to meet [Taiwanese investors’] demands to help them get back to normal operation as soon as possible,” Shen said.
Shen said he had talked to several firms in Vietnam recently, and none were considering withdrawing capital from Vietnam, but they hoped that the riots would never recur.
Separately, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday sent a delegation led by KMT Deputy Chairman Tseng Tung-chuan (曾永權) and Legislator Chan Kai-chen (詹凱臣) to offer sympathy to Taiwanese businesspeople in Vietnam and to learn about their needs.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has instructed the delegation to provide Taiwanese investors with assistance to get back to business as soon as possible.
On behalf of the Democratic Progressive Party, Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) also arrived in Vietnam to offer help yesterday.
Tsai said that he would listen to the needs of Taiwanese businesspeople and urge the government to support them as much as possible.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS