Date of publication: 29-03-2013
An opposition legislator in Taiwan yesterday questioning the free trade zone demonstration projects proposed by the Cabinet, claiming that it would hurt domestic workers job opportunities and is harmful to the image of the brand "Made in Taiwan" (MIT).
Having regard to the ease restrictions on the flow of foreign investment and mainland Chinese workers, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator Hsu Chung-hsin argued that the zones would only gradually bring Taiwan more confidence on China.
This would lead to Taiwan eventually lost her economic sovereignty, said Hsu.
In particular he blasted the Government decides to expand the number of mainland employees that are locally based companies can employ.
"What about our potential employees? Who is going to protect their rights? "
According to Hsu, the limitation of only mainland white collar workers who have at least two years working experience in service are not applied on the demonstration zones. This means, he said, that mainland students taking part in Taiwanese universities in the country for a job immediately after graduation apply, apply their family and to remain for at least three years.
What about our young graduates having problems finding a job, he asked already have? This will only employment, whereby there is a battle on our domestic graduates looking for a job, shrinking Hsu added.
With regard to the development of agricultural value-added products by importing raw materials to process in Taiwan, Hsu argued that it is very difficult to ensure the quality of the products obtained.
Hsu said that Taiwan agriculture and food traceability system (TAFT) only in 2007 and has yet to fully mature. The origin and quality of foreign raw materials will be even harder to pin down, he added.
The Government hopes to make a name for MIT agricultural products on international markets, but how can they do this when it is not even good quality control system, claiming he asked.
Different zones different requests
Also yesterday, in response to the Central Government plans, the Government of the city of Kaohsiung expressed his wish to take on the financial sector in the demonstration zones.
The Cabinet on Wednesday said that it has decided to focus on agricultural products, medical tourism and develop fourth-party logistics in the first phase of the free economic zone demonstration projects.
Tseng Wen-sheng, who heads Kaohsiung economic development Bureau, said that all three sectors are crucial to help transform the industrial structure of the city and creating more jobs, but that the integration of the financial sector would be a big plus.
Tseng said he will continue to ask the Central Government to grant the freedom to financial transactions in the demonstration free trade zones.
An official of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) added that he hopeful the 5-percent tariff imposed panels exported to mainland China can be deleted.
TAITRA Secretary-General Chao Yun-chuan explained that such a reduction would be a big plus for local manufacturers, pointing out that mainland China imported some NT $ 50.3 billion (US $ 1.6 billion) worth of panels last year.
* US $ 1 = NT $ 30.6
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