Taiwan ready to reopen Eastern Cape factories

Taiwan is prepared to return to the Eastern Cape and reopen closed factories in the poor areas where it previously invested, Taiwan foreign affairs ministry said.

Responding to a question by The Citizen about whether Taiwan had any intention to return and reopen the factories in Dimbaza, Fort Jackson, Butterworth and Whittlesea and other areas, Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chungkwang said he was willing to lead a Taiwanese delegation to South Africa to hold talks about reviving industry.

“We will be much willing to go back to South Africa. I think our people can make a difference, they must just send us an invitation,” Tien said.

Plight of closed down factories

He was discussing the plight of many factories that closed down at several industrial areas in the Eastern Cape.

The factories stood empty for more than 30 years and some were vandalised, while provincial government had been unable to attract investors to the areas since the early 90s.

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Previously, Taiwan had diplomatic relations with the former white South Africa, but the democratic government severed ties and opted for mainland China.

Residents living in surrounding townships and villages lost their jobs and the areas remained in abject poverty after the Taiwanese businesses closed.

Some factories were opened by the Philippine industrialists in the area.

Policy of sharing industries with other countries

Tien, who studied at the University of the Witwatersrand in the early ’80s, said Taiwan had a policy of sharing its industries with other countries.

But the host country should have infrastructure and human capital in place as a condition for investment.

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Referring to semiconductors for which Taiwan is famous, the deputy minister said although it was a strategic product on which the Taiwanese economy was based, the country had built semiconductor manufacturing factories in the US, Germany and Japan.

It had also received interest from Vietnam and Malaysia, among others who want to build the chips.

“We share our industries with other countries. We are not using the word ‘protection’ but we share our technologies.

“We understand that the supply of semiconductors is so great, no one country can single-handedly be able to handle it alone. We want to use this hi-tech knowledge to share with like-minded countries who are able and capable,” Tien said.