Meanwhile, in an interview in the latest edition of The Journalist magazine (新新聞), Ma said lifting the ban could help improve relations with the US, but denied that there had been any trade-offs.
He said he hoped to see breakthroughs in the arms procurements and a trade and investment framework agreement with the US and possibly a free-trade agreement. He also hoped there would be headway in visa-waiver privileges.
In related news, a group of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors protested against the new US beef policy near the Presidential Office yesterday, urging the government to refuse to import US beef products.
“The US promotes its beef based on US interests, but our president, elected by Taiwanese, has ignored the public’s health and national interest,” Taipei City Councilor Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said.
Chuang and another six DPP city councilors, including Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) and Huang Hsiang-chun (黃向群), and their supporters tried to move closer to the Presidential Office as they carried placards and chanted slogans such as “Restart the negotiation!” and “Refuse US ground beef and internal organs!”
Taipei City police blocked the protesters to stay on a sidewalk across from the building.
Wu slammed Ma for not having any “beef” in his policies, and demanded the government begin new negotiations with the US.
Huang accused Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) of teaming up with Ma to “double-cross” the public.
“The anti-US beef association is not going to work because the city government does not have the authority to ban US beef at local stores,” Chuang said, referring to the Taipei City Government’s decision to form an association of more than 200 shops and restaurants that have agreed to boycott ground beef, and cows’ internal organs and spinal cords.
RSS