The controversy over US beef imports showed no sign of abating yesterday after legislators across the political spectrum stood together in demanding that the government re-open negotiations with the US.
Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) faced tough questions over the government’s negotiations with the US and accusations that the process had not been transparent.
Taiwan agreed to lift a ban on US bone-in beef from cattle younger than 30 months in a protocol it signed in Washington last month.
PHOTO: LIU JUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Legislators said they had not been aware of either the negotiations or what was discussed.
“As the whole process has not been transparent, I don’t think the public can accept the risks,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩) said. “Furthermore, as even the government does not fully know the risks involved, how can we [lift the ban on these beef products]?”
Claiming that allowing US bone-in beef was “just too risky,” legislators urged the government to throw out the results of the negotiations, which they called a “humiliation” and said had “forfeited the nation’s sovereignty.”
The legislators called for a new round of talks.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said last week that re-opening the negotiations after they had already been concluded would damage Taiwan’s credibility.
Despite this, several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers called for new negotiations.
“There is an absolute need to re-open the negotiations,” KMT Legislator Cheng Ru-fen (鄭汝芬) said.
In reference to the risks associated with US beef, she said: “Instead of the government saying that consumers should be careful, it is the government that should be more careful.”
The health department has said it has the necessary facilities and expertise to ensure that allowing in US bone-in beef would carry minimal risks.
As a result, officials said the risk of consumers contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was around “one in 10 billion.”
KMT Legislator Wu Chin-chih (吳清池) disagreed and asked to see how the government had reached that figure.
He later said that if the government could not back up those figures, he would fight its beef policy in the legislature.
DPP Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) criticized the health department for making up its mind on the beef policy before hearing the opinions of lawmakers or the public.
“It is clear that the DOH has already made up its mind to release this protocol with or without the approval of this committee,” she said.
In response, Yaung said that the health department respected the authority of the legislature.
Meanwhile, the DPP said yesterday that a referendum on the issue must be held to force the government realize that the public disapproves of its decision.
The party was throwing its weight behind a petition for a referendum initiated by various civic organizations.
The Consumers’ Foundation and several other groups are seeking at least 90,000 signatures to launch a referendum application that would ask the public whether it wants the government renegotiate its agreement with the US.
While the government and the US have repeatedly said that the meat is safe, local DPP and KMT politicians have also voiced opposition to the policy, citing potential health threats.
DPP city council members in Kaohsiung and Hsinchu said they would lead a street demonstration if the government refuses to heed the public’s calls.
DPP Spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) quoted a press release from the Nebraska state government that stated a protocol had been signed and a public review in Taiwan is pending.
“Following that review, the agreement is set to go into effect on Nov. 2. It will allow for the import of bone-in beef from cattle younger than 30 months of age. Currently Taiwan only accepts beef in that age group that is boneless. After 180 days, government officials will review the 30 month age limit and consider full trade access for US beef,” the statement said.
Tsai said that the press release from the government showed there were still many questions that needed to be answered on the beef policy.
The review in six months means US beef exports to Taiwan are not a done deal as the government has said, Tsai said.
The protocol is available on the health department’s Web site in English. So far, the government has not released a Chinese translation of the agreement for public view.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
Taiwan is awaiting official notification from the US regarding the status of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) after the US Supreme Court ruled US President Donald Trump's global tariffs unconstitutional. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing today, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said that Taiwan's negotiation team remains focused on ensuring that the bilateral trade deal remains intact despite the legal challenge to Trump's tariff policy. "The US has pledged to notify its trade partners once the subsequent administrative and legal processes are finalized, and that certainly includes Taiwan," Cho said when asked about opposition parties’ doubts that the ART was
If China chose to invade Taiwan tomorrow, it would only have to sever three undersea fiber-optic cable clusters to cause a data blackout, Jason Hsu (許毓仁), a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator, told a US security panel yesterday. In a Taiwan contingency, cable disruption would be one of the earliest preinvasion actions and the signal that escalation had begun, he said, adding that Taiwan’s current cable repair capabilities are insufficient. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) yesterday held a hearing on US-China Competition Under the Sea, with Hsu speaking on
RSS