An apology has been issued by Taiwan’s Ministry of Labour after controversial remarks surfaced over the hiring of Bharatiya workers based on skin colour, dietary habits, and religion.
On February 29, Taiwan’s Minister of Labour, Hsu Ming-chun, while discussing the signed labour mobility agreement with Bharat, said that workers from Bharat’s northeastern states were considerable for the initial phase of the execution of the mobility agreement due to similarities in skin colour, dietary preferences, and religion.
However, the interview was published on March 1, the controversial comments gained attention on social media over the weekend. It got a public backlash after which Taiwan’s foreign ministry issued an official statement on March 4 and apologised for the comments made by the self-ruled island nation’s labour minister.
“Recently in discussions with sectors in Taiwan’s society, certain government agencies have made remarks that were not entirely appropriate,” the ministry said.
The government expresses apologies for this situation. It will review its actions and make needed improvements going forward.
There was no official reaction from India’s Ministry of External Affairs over the controversy. This row follows the signing of a labour mobility agreement between Taiwan and Bharat, designed to address Taiwan’s severe human power shortage by importing Bharatiya workers.
Recently, Bharat and Taiwan signed a migration and mobility pact to strengthen ties between the two sides.
The landmark agreement is aimed at fostering greater people-to-people engagement and facilitating smoother migration between the two nations.
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