The ROC and Vietnam have reached consensus on last month's riots in Vietnam and formed a joint working group to assist in handling follow-up matters, Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo stated today. He asked relevant ROC agencies to closely communicate and coordinate with their Vietnamese counterparts and ensure continued progress so as to attain the utmost rights and interests for Taiwanese businesspeople in Vietnam.
Mao made these remarks after being briefed by a cross-agency working group at the seventh meeting of the Executive Yuan's cross-ministerial task force dedicated to coordinating the government's response to the riots. The vice premier, who serves as convener of the task force, acknowledged the group's hard work and efforts.
Taiwan will set up new working groups dedicated to five major issues—wages and labor, taxes and customs, loans and financing, insurance, and personal safety—to deal with related issues. The Executive Yuan stated that the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Finance, Financial Supervisory Commission and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) would each be in charge of at least one of the five working groups, and an additional group devoted to miscellaneous affairs will be set up and run by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).
After the riot-response task force's first-phase tasks have been completed, it will focus on seeking compensation and reconstruction through its second-phase tasks, Mao pointed out. He asked the working groups to see to their respective responsibilities and closely monitor work progress each week.
Mao also tasked the MOFA to re-examine emergency response mechanisms so that the government can promptly and appropriately respond to any similar events that occur in the future and thus ensure Taiwanese businesspeople's rights and interests.
The MOEA stated that it has achieved preliminary results regarding compensation, financing and rehabilitation for Taiwanese businesspeople, including establishing a single window for services, streamlining administrative procedures and providing loans in U.S. currency.
The new working groups should be proactive in keeping close contact with the Vietnamese agencies with jurisdiction over their respective issues and urge these counterparts to respond expediently, set a deadline for each task and review progress periodically, the vice premier said.
Vietnam has promised to adopt various measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again and to fully safeguard Taiwanese businesspeople and property, and it has also agreed to provide to Taiwan the name list of rioters and criminals perpetrating riot violence as well as the penalties meted out to them.
The riots occurred after mainland China placed an oil rig in waters that are separately claimed by Vietnam, mainland China and the ROC. Although the rioters were putatively retaliating against mainland China, hundreds of Taiwanese businesses suffered damages as well.