Taiwanese seafood products for the second consecutive time have been included in the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, published by the US Department of Labor on Wednesday.
This year’s report maintains the forced-labor designation that Taiwanese seafood first received in the previous edition in 2020.
Reports have been made of adults forced to work in Taiwan’s distant-water fishing fleet, which has more than 1,100 vessels in the world’s second-largest fleet, and employs an estimated 35,000 migrant workers, the report said.
The workers, mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines, are recruited by agencies that “sometimes deceive workers with false information regarding their wages and the terms of their contracts,” and require them to pay recruitment fees and sign debt contracts, it said.
The workers’ identity documents are often confiscated upon boarding, and they can spend months at sea without stopping at a port of call, working up to 22 hours per day, the report said.
Workers often “face hunger and dehydration, live in degrading and unhygienic conditions, and are subjected to physical violence or verbal abuse,” while being unable to leave the vessel or end their contracts, the report said, adding that many are not paid their promised wages, and have food and lodging fees illegally deducted, it said.
Greenpeace Taiwan said the listing would negatively affect Taiwan’s international reputation and its ability to export seafood products, due to a growing demand among consumers and retailers for ethically sourced seafood.
The Fisheries Agency said that after the 2020 report was published, it launched a four-year action plan for fisheries and human rights, with the goal of increasing workers’ salaries, improving labor conditions, better managing labor brokers and increasing government oversight.
Taiwan has also made several revisions to the Regulations on the Authorization and Management of Overseas Employment of Foreign Crew Members (境外僱用非我國籍船員許可及管理辦法), and has established a formal mechanism for reporting human and labor rights abuses, the agency said.
The revisions have raised the minimum monthly salary for workers on distant-water fishing vessels from US$450 to US$550, and require workers be covered by health insurance policies with minimum payouts of NT$300,000 (US$9,451) and life insurance policies worth NT$1.5 million, it said.
The agency earlier this month updated US officials on its efforts to improve conditions in the industry, it said.
While Taiwan’s inclusion in the latest report is “regrettable,” the agency strives to continue efforts to expand labor protections and be removed from the list as soon as possible, it added.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS