TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomed an MOU on “The Facilitation of Employment of Indian Workers” between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India and the India-Taipei Association on Friday (Feb. 16).

The types of industry and number of Indian workers will be decided by Taiwan, MOFA said in an Instagram post. Meanwhile, India will be responsible for recruiting and training personnel based on Taiwan’s needs and employment will be compliant with the laws and regulations of both countries, it said.

Taiwan and India will also begin working-level meetings shortly to discuss the implementation process such as the types and quotas of Taiwanese, the source regions of Indian migrant workers, employment qualifications, and recruitment methods. MOFA added that it would cooperate with the Ministry of Labor to "discuss details of implementation and maintain close contact with the Indian government to adopt a step-by-step and mutually beneficial approach to proceed in a pragmatic manner."

The labor deal can assuage the impact of Taiwan’s aging population and declining birthrate on the country’s labor force and further improve friendly relations with India, according to a MOFA press release.

Concerning false reports the agreement would allow 100,000 Indian workers to enter Taiwan, the ministry said they were an attempt to influence enhanced Taiwan-India cooperation and affect the bilateral friendship. It called on the public to resist “the deliberate dissemination of rumors and false information by individuals with ulterior motives.”

Taiwan and India began talks on labor cooperation as early as 2020, but discussions were halted during the pandemic. Negotiations resumed after the pandemic waned and the content of the deal was largely finalized in September.

The deal comes as Taiwan seeks to hire more Indian workers to address labor shortages in the manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and fishery industries.