 "A construction worker climbs a scaffolding outside a shopping centre under renovation in Taipei. Taiwan's labour minister Hsu Ming-chun's remarks on looking at hiring Indians from the northeast has sparked a row. File photo/Reuters")
Taiwan wants to recruit migrant workers from India. But now its plan has hit a roadblock after its labour minister made a controversial remark on the potential hiring. The Taiwanese government is scrambling to control the damage.
What went amiss?
The controversy over recruiting Indians
In a recent interview with Yahoo TV, Taiwan’s labour minister Hsu Ming-chun said that the island may start recruiting migrant workers from India’s northeast where people “have similar skin colour and diets like us”.
She further stated that “individuals in this region, mostly Christians, are skilled in manufacturing, construction, and farming, as per Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) assessments,” according to Central News Agency.
Hsu’s remarks have been criticised by the ruling and Opposition parties in Taiwan, with some calling them “racist”.
Legislator Chen Kuan-ting of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party strongly condemned the comments in a video posted on X, arguing that skin colour and race should not be criteria for recruiting migrant workers.
“As a member of Parliament, I want to reaffirm that Taiwan values everyone, irrespective of their race, culture, or religion. It is my firm belief that individuals from all backgrounds deserve respect, and I am committed to upholding this principle in Taiwan.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe Indian government has not responded to the controversy yet.
Taiwan in damage control mode
As the row erupted, Taiwan swung into damage-control mode with both the foreign ministry and the labour ministry issuing apologies.
On Monday, the island’s foreign ministry expressed its “sincere apologies over this situation”. “Taiwan will welcome any Indian worker who meets conditions for recruitment and satisfies industry demand, regardless of their ethnic background,” the ministry said in a statement, according to CNN.
The statement said that Taiwan boasts a civil society that embraces different views and allows for a wide array of voices to be heard. “Taiwan also fully respects India’s diverse and rich culture and cherishes the friendship between the peoples of Taiwan and India.”
In a separate statement issued on Monday night, the labour ministry apologised for Hsu’s “inaccurate” choice of words, emphasising that the comments were not meant to discriminate.
Hsu too has expressed regret for her “inaccurate” comments, clarifying that Taiwan’s labour policies aim for equality, devoid of discrimination, be it for local or foreign workers.
The deal to bring Indian workers to Taiwan
The minister made remarks on northeastern Indians last week when responding to a question about an agreement between India and Taiwan signed last month on migration and mobility that would open doors for Indian workers to seek employment on the island. It is currently facing a shortage of workers in sectors like manufacturing, construction and agriculture as it struggles with declining birth rates and an ageing population.
The pact will strengthen bilateral labour cooperation and was signed after years of discussions, Taiwan’s labour ministry said in a statement last month. The island would initially seek Indian workers with good English proficiency on a small scale, and if the results of the MoU were good, the openings would be gradually increased.
Discussions on industries in which Indians could be employed, the number of jobs, source regions in India for migrant workers, qualifications for employment, language skills, and recruitment methods were to be discussed in follow-up meetings.
In November, a report by Bloomberg said that Taiwan could “hire as many as 100,000 Indians to work at factories, farms and hospitals”.
Currently, the Indian expatriate community in Taiwan is about 5,000 people and is mostly engaged in white-collar professions.
India-Taiwan ties
Ties between New Delhi and Taipei have been warming up.
After the presidential elections in Taiwan in January, India said that it is looking forward to continuing people-to-people exchanges with the island, aiming towards shared prosperity and development.
“India has strong and growing people-to-people ties; culture, education, trade and investment links with Taiwan. The Government of India facilitates these exchanges and looks forward to continuing them for shared prosperity and development,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters then.
India does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, as it adheres to the “One-China” policy . However, the self-governing island has established Taipei Economic and Cultural Centres in India to conduct business.
In July last year, Taiwan announced the opening of a new business office in Mumbai — its third in India, after Delhi and Chennai, reports The Indian Express. In the absence of an embassy, these offices represent Taiwan’s interests in India.
Business relationships between Taipei and New Delhi are also shaping up. Taiwan’s Foxconn , one of Apple’s largest suppliers, has been expanding its operations in India after disruptions in China during the stringent COVID-19 lockdown. Last month, the chip-making giant said that its Indian subsidiary will spend Rs 1200 crore to build a factory.
Foxconn chairman and CEO Young Liu met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India in February last. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian awards, earlier this year.
As India and Taiwan build a relationship, New Delhi’s ties with Beijing are decorating. Tensions between Taiwan and China are also on the rise.
With inputs from agencies