India and Taiwan have signed a migration and mobility agreement that will facilitate the employment of Indian workers in various sectors in Taiwan. The pact reflects the growing cooperation between the two sides.
New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) India and Taiwan on Friday signed a migration and mobility agreement that will facilitate the employment of Indian workers in diverse sectors in the self-ruled island, a move that is seen as reflective of the renewed momentum in the cooperation between the two sides.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed at a virtual ceremony by Director General of the India-Taipei Association (ITA) Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav and Baushuan Ger, the head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in New Delhi.
In order to strengthen the bilateral labour cooperation relations, Taiwan and India have signed an MoU, Taiwan's labour ministry said.
Both sides were engaged in discussions over the pact for the last several years.
After all the preparatory work is completed, India will be announced as a "new source" country of migrant workers in accordance with the law, the Taiwanese labour ministry said.
Taiwan's current source countries for migrant workers are Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
The two sides will hold follow-up discussions to complete the procedures to implement the migration and mobility pact.
In the follow-up discussions, the two sides will deliberate on issues such as industries in which Indians can be employed, the number of jobs, source regions in India for migrant workers, qualifications for employment, language skills and recruitment methods, a statement said.
It said the Taiwanese side will decide the industries and number of Indian migrant workers to be allowed to work in Taiwan and the Indian side will recruit and train workers according to Taiwan's needs.
The Taiwanese labour ministry said it will submit the MoU to the Legislative Yuan for a review in accordance with the laid down law and hold a working-level meeting with the Indian side as soon as possible to discuss details relating to the implementation of the pact.
The ministry said Taiwan is affected by an ageing population and low birth rate, and that is why it is looking at the migrant labour force.
Affected by the country's ageing population and low birth rate, the working-age population and grassroots labour force have shrunk sharply, it said, adding that the shortage of workers in manufacturing, construction, agriculture and other industries continues to expand.
The demand for care-givers too is increasing, it said.
The overall ties between India and Taiwan are on an upswing.
The two countries had held preliminary rounds of talks on a free-trade agreement.
The total investment of Taiwanese enterprises in India has exceeded USD 4 billion, covering areas from footwear, machinery, automobile components to petrochemical and ICT products.
China considers Taiwan as its breakaway province and insists that it should be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan, however, sees itself as completely distinct from China.
Though India and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic ties, the bilateral trade relations have been on an upward trajectory.
In 1995, New Delhi set up the ITA in Taipei to promote interactions between the two sides and facilitate business, tourism and cultural exchanges.
The ITA has also been authorised to provide all consular and passport services.
In the same year, Taiwan too established the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in Delhi.
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