American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Stephen Young told a press conference yesterday that Taiwan should fully open its market to US beef, but acknowledged that the possibility of the US government and Taiwan signing a free-trade agreement (FTA) was remote.
Young said the US was asking the Taiwanese government to make a “science-based decision” consistent with the tenets laid out by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), to allow the comprehensive no-strings attached import of US beef to Taiwan.
Since 2005, Taiwan has twice imposed a partial ban on the meat after two confirmed cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease, were confirmed in the US. Currently, only bone-free beef from cattle under 30 months of age is allowed for sale in Taiwan.
Some medical research suggests consumption of BSE-tainted beef can lead to fatal brain disease in humans.
The government has been reluctant to lift restrictions, citing a lack of public support on the issue.
Consumers Foundation chairman Hsieh Tien-jen (謝天仁) has repeatedly urged the government not to give in on the issue for the sake of public health.
“The US currently already supplies 32 percent of Taiwan’s beef. It is time for the [Taiwanese public] to enjoy access to the same range of US beef and beef products that US consumers eat and enjoy every day,” Young said, urging the Taiwanese government to also increase imports of US pork, rice, fruit and wheat.
Young did not sound optimistic about a Taiwan-US FTA, saying that the subject remained a bone of contention in the US Congress.
This year’s annual bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement talk had yet to be scheduled, Young said, even though in July he mentioned the talks would be held in Taipei later this year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the US side has suspended talks on Taiwan-US trade issues until the beef dilemma is resolved.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
RSS