Did a search on the forum, couldn't really find a thread that I thought I could find this information in just by using the titles, and I wasn't going to browse every thread in the 13 pages of results the search gave me, sorry.

Also, this is why I mentioned Taiwan:

Headquarter
Merida Industry Co., LTD.
P.O. Box 56
Yuanlin Taiwan R.O.C.

Tel.: +886-4-8526171
Fax: +886-4-8527881


This is right on their website: http://www2.merida-bikes.com/

Additionally, after a google search on Merida + Specialized, I'm not sure that they actually ARE Specialized here in the US. I did read however that they make frames for Specialized though: http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-350317.html

People in that archived thread even state that its a nice Taiwanese company.