Taipei, May 21 (CNA) Taiwan and Vietnam have been talking about the safety of Taiwanese businesses in the Southeast Asian country and compensation for those that sustained losses during recent anti-China riots there, Taiwanese officials said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister David Lin said that earlier in the day he had summoned Vietnam’s representative to Taiwan Bui Trong Van for the sixth time since the riots erupted last week, and reiterated Taiwan’s demands.
He said he told Bui that Vietnam should ensure the safety of Taiwanese businessmen and expatriates there, compensate the enterprises for their losses in the riots, protect Taiwanese nationals’ legal rights there and take action to restore Taiwanese businessmen’s confidence in investing in Vietnam.
In response, Bui said Vietnam is considering measures to compensate the Taiwanese businesses, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The Foreign Ministry will continue to closely watch Vietnam's follow-up measures," Lin told the media.
Regarding the safety of Taiwanese businessmen, Taiwan has suggested Vietnam set up a 24-hour emergency hotline for Taiwanese businesspeople to report emergency to its police department and beef up police patrols in areas where Taiwanese companies are located, Lin said. Vietnam has agreed to consider the suggestions, he added.
To demonstrate Vietnam’s determination to protect Taiwanese businessmen, Bui said, senior Vietnamese officials have visited the affected businesses and offered their sympathy, according to the ministry’s statement.
Lin made the remarks after a Taiwanese delegation, led by Vice Economics Minister Shen Jong-chin, met with officials from Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment and other relevant government departments.
Earlier in the day, the Vietnamese officials also accompanied the Taiwanese delegation on a visit to the affected Taiwanese businesses, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Before the delegation wraps up its visit Friday, the members are expected to meet some higher-level Vietnamese governmental officials in Hanoi, Taiwanese foreign affairs officials said, but did not provide any further details.
A total of 224 Taiwanese companies in Vietnam have suffered damage as a result of the riots, with 18 factories set on fire, five of which were completely destroyed, according to statistics compiled by the Economics Ministry. About 1,100 Taiwanese enterprises have suspended operations, it said.
The anti-Chinese protests erupted in southern Vietnam May 13 over a Chinese oil-drilling venture in an area of the South China Sea that Hanoi insists is within its exclusive economic zone.
(By Elaine Hou)
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