Taiwan has no “preset stance” on imports of US pork containing ractopamine, president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, according to Cabinet spokesman-designate Tung Chen-yuan (童振源).
Tsai made the remarks at the opening of a two-day “consensus-building camp” for the members of the incoming Cabinet in Taipei.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Tsai is to be sworn into office on May 20.
Her administration will achieve its goals through communication and negotiation, and during that process, it will consider the development of the domestic pig farming industry, food safety and international standards, Tsai was quoted as saying.
Taiwan will have to finish all preparations first and “whether to open to US pork imports will depend on the results of future negotiations. We do not have a preset stance right now,” Tsai said.
Tsai also said that the new government will have to communicate fully with the public, the legislature and the media, Tung said.
The issue of opening the nation’s market to imports of US pork containing ractopamine, a feed additive that promotes leanness in animals, surfaced after Council of Agriculture minister-designate Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) said in an April 21 interview that Taiwan cannot shut its doors to US pork containing the ractopamine forever in the face of globalization.
His remarks have drawn criticism from the public, especially from pig farmers, for showing an apparent about-face in the DPP’s stance on the issue.
The US has said that Taiwan must lift its ban on imports of pork containing ractopamine to expand trade ties.
“Pork is certainly one of the important issues” in trade relations between the two nations, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Tong said during a visit to Taiwan late last month.
The US had insisted during President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) first term from 2008 to 2012 that Taiwan’s ban on imports of US beef containing ractopamine be lifted before trade ties could be advanced.
The DPP opposed lifting the ban at that time, until the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a UN body that sets food standards, voted 69-67 in July 2012 to allow ractopamine residue in pigs, cattle and turkeys.
Taiwan formally eased its ban on US beef imports with traces of ractopamine in July 2012, soon after the commission’s vote, leading to the resumption of talks under the Taiwan-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which had been suspended since 2007.
However, both the DPP and the Ma administration continued to oppose the import of US pork with traces of ractopamine, on which the incoming government seems willing to compromise to advance Taiwan’s trade interests.
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