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Engineers see risk in
trade pact
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
Hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese computer engineers would likely be hurt by
the cross-strait service trade agreement due to the potential influx of cheaper
Chinese workers, computer software representatives said yesterday.
¡§Young entry-level engineers are likely to be the first batch of victims of the
pact because they could be replaced by cheaper, more experienced Chinese
counterparts,¡¨ computer engineer Shen Chia-hung (¨H¨Î¥°) told a press conference
organized by the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).
A public hearing on the potential impact of the agreement on the computer
industry will be held today at the Legislative Yuan.
Shen said national security would also be a concern if Chinese engineers are
hired to work by companies that have won government contracts because they might
spy for Beijing.
Software company owner Chien Wen-nan (¿ú¤å«n) said there would be an advantage to
hiring Chinese white-collar workers because firms would not be required to pay
them the minimum monthly wage.
The government¡¦s liberalization of Taiwan¡¦s Type II telecommunications business
has ignored an important key point by underestimated Beijing¡¦s influence via the
Internet, he said.
¡§Nowadays people spend more time on the Internet than on the telephone, which is
why if Chinese investment is allowed in the telecommunications industry, news
censorship and surveillance could be an issue,¡¨ Shen said.
The agreement allows Chinese firms to send its white-collar employees to Taiwan
for up to three years, TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (¶À©ø½÷) said.
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