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The top story from this past week involved anti-China riots in Vietnam which damaged more than 100 Taiwanese factories, ten of which were set on fire.
Taiwan’s government said that Taiwanese businesses suffered the most during the protests, adding that the Vietnamese people have trouble differentiating people from Taiwan and China.
Taiwanese businesses have invested in more than 2,300 projects in Vietnam with a total investment value of US$27.3 billion. Taiwan is fourth largest investor in Vietnam, after Japan, South Korea and Singapore.
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Also this past week, Vietnam’s envoy to Taiwan, Bui Trong Van, apologized for damage caused to Taiwanese businesses during anti-China riots over the past several days. Bui was speaking Friday at a meeting with foreign minister David Lin. Bui said that Vietnam has already arrested more than 1,000 rioters and has promised to punish them severely.
The Vietnamese official said he regretted the destruction and looting of Taiwanese-owned facilities during the riots. Bui also said that Vietnam has promised pay compensation to affected businesses.
He promised that the Vietnamese government will protect Taiwanese businesses by all means necessary, including dispatching police and restraining those engaged in illegal acts.
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And finally this past week, a tennis duo from Taiwan and China has risen to the top of the world women’s double’s tennis rankings. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced on Monday that Hsieh Su-wei from Taiwan and Peng Shuai from China had clinched the number one spot.
The pair made it to the top by reaching the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open last week. Although they lost to an unseeded Spanish duo, it did not affect their ranking.
The achievement is particularly sweet for Hsieh, since it makes her the first tennis player from Taiwan to ever hold a world number one ranking in any category.
Hsieh thanked all of her supporters, as well as the businesses and individuals who have sponsored her over the years. She said that while many of the donations were modest, she could not have done it without every one of them. Hsieh said that she would continue to work hard and said that people should not be too surprised if she’s in it for the long haul.