India-Taiwan sign MoU to bring in Indian workers

TAIPEI: In a further boost to bilateral ties between India and Taiwan, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two countries Friday to enable Indian migrant workers to find jobs there.

"Taiwan-India relations reach a new high! The MOU on the Facilitation of Employment of Indian Workers, signed by @TWIndia2 Rep. Ger & @ita_taipei Rep Yadav," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan posted from its official handle on X.

The MoU "promises mutual benefits" for the people of both countries, "igniting a powerful momentum for even deeper and more fruitful cooperation."

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding comes at a time when a labor-strapped Taipei is looking to extend its foreign workforce outside its typical Southeast Asian sources.

Taiwan, a major semiconductor producer with an ageing population, is home to over 700,000 migrant workers from Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, the majority of whom work in manufacturing or as home assistants for the elderly, according to Reuters.

Citing Taiwan's Ministry of Labour, Reuters reported that the MoU was signed between each other's de facto embassies in Taipei and Delhi but implementation details were still in the process of being fleshed out. India, like other nations, has no formal links with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but there is a strong commercial partnership that seeks to attract more Taiwanese technology businesses to invest and produce in India.

The ministry stated that Taiwan has been struggling to meet the demand for human resources in key sectors such as manufacturing, construction and agriculture, among others, resulting in a rise in demand for migrant workers year after year.