Taiwan issues 'sincere apology' over minister's racist comments against Indian migrant workers

India-Taiwan ties: Taiwan's Ministry of Labour issued an apology after controversial remarks surfaced over the recruitment of Indian workers based on "skin colour", dietary habits, and religion.

On February 29, Taiwan's Minister of Labour, Hsu Ming-chun, while discussing the newly signed labour mobility agreement with India, said that workers from India's northeastern states were considered suitable for the initial phase of the execution of the mobility agreement due to perceived similarities in skin colour, dietary preferences, and religion.

Although the interview was published on March 1, the controversial comments gained attention on social media over the weekend.

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Responding to the public backlash, Taiwan's foreign ministry issued an official statement on March 4 and apologised for the comments made by the self-ruled island nation's labour minister.

"Recently in discussions with relevant sectors in Taiwan's society, certain government agencies have made remarks that were not entirely appropriate," the ministry said.

"The government expresses sincere apologies over this situation. It will earnestly review its actions and made needed improvements going forward."

There was no official reaction from India's Ministry of External Affairs over the controversy.

This row follows the signing of a labour mobility agreement between Taiwan and India, designed to address Taiwan's severe human power shortage by importing Indian workers.

India and Taiwan recently signed a migration and mobility pact to strengthen ties between the two sides.

The landmark agreement is aimed at fostering greater people-to-people engagement and facilitating smoother migration between the two nations.

The semiconductor industry has emerged as a pivotal area of cooperation, with the establishment of a chip manufacturing plant in western India's Gujarat state emerging as a high point of the ties between the two sides.

While India officially adheres to the One China policy, it has not reiterated the same in recent years amid deteriorating ties with China. The troops of the two sides have been engaged in a standoff in the Himalayas since April 2020.

(With inputs from agencies)