TaiwanHeadlines - Society - Officials plan to import labor from South Pacific

TaiwanHeadlines - Society - Officials plan to import labor from South Pacific: "Officials plan to import labor from South Pacific By Evelyn Chiang In a bid to strengthen Taiwan's diplomatic ties with its allies in the South Pacific region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Council of Labor Affairs (勞委會) are looking into the feasibility of importing foreign laborers from these countries, a MOFA official said on Thursday. Director of MOFA's Department of East Asia and Pacific Affairs Donald Lee said the area is a relatively new region for Taiwan's labor market to explore, as currently most foreign workers are drafted from Southeast Asia. Although the allied countries are interested in the proposal, issues related to the nations' distance from Taiwan, such as the higher costs involved in importing workers, need to be resolved before the plan can be finalized, he added. Taiwan now has six diplomatic allies in the South Pacific region, including Nauru, Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu."