Commercial Office of Brazil to Taipei Director Luis Claudio Villafane Gomes Santos rarely grants interviews to local media.
What should have been an excellent opportunity to help the public better understand Brazil instead turned into a PR disaster when, speaking to online news outlet Up Media, Santos said his government considers Taiwan to be part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), prompting widespread calls to declare him unwelcome.
A seasoned diplomat, Santos previously served as ambassador to Nicaragua and held diplomatic postings in the US, Uruguay and Ecuador. He should be deeply aware that diplomacy is the art of communication; it is hard to imagine he would make such a blatant mistake.
In the interview, which focused on Brazil’s abundant energy and agricultural resources, Santos lamented missed business opportunities and praised the strong purchasing power of Taiwan’s 23 million consumers, further expressing frustration with the 10-year stalemate on imports of Brazilian beef.
However, his crossing of a political red line only added fuel to the fire — his remarks effectively labeled Brazilian beef as “one China” beef.
Brazil is a powerhouse in agriculture and agricultural products. Last year, it surpassed the US for the first time to become the world’s largest beef producer.
It is also the world’s largest beef exporter, with China as its largest buyer, accounting for nearly half of total exports last year.
The fact that large volumes of Brazilian beef are exported to China each year while failing to gain entry into Taiwan fully demonstrates that Santos’ claim that Taiwan is part of the PRC is simply untrue.
The approval of Brazilian beef imports through quarantine inspection is determined solely by authorities in Taiwan — China has no say in the matter. Santos’ complaints about Taiwan’s inspection and quarantine regulations for imported beef highlight the government’s responsibility in safeguarding public health.
Taiwan is not alone in this — Japan and South Korea follow similar practices. In May last year, after Brazil was certified by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as being free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, authorities in Tokyo began to consider opening the market to Brazilian beef imports.
A key driving force behind this success was Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who lobbied for Brazilian beef.
Two years ago, when then- Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida visited Brazil, Lula — in Kishida’s presence — directly instructed the vice president and minister of development, industry, commerce and service to take Kishida to “the best steakhouse in Sao Paulo.”
In March last year, he led a delegation of more than 100 business representatives on a return visit to Japan, where then-Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed to dispatch health and quarantine experts to Brazil for on-site inspections.
Earlier this month, a Japanese technical mission formed by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and its National Agriculture and Food Research Organization completed its on-site health inspection in Brazil.
Similarly, during his visit to Seoul in February, Lula told South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and business leaders that Korean barbecue paired with Brazilian beef would be a perfect match.
Following Japan’s lead, South Korean authorities agreed to send a delegation to Brazil within the next year to conduct on-site sanitary inspections of beef facilities, with the aim of potentially easing a 15-year-long import ban.
The prospect of Japan and South Korea opening their markets to Brazilian beef imports highlights the ineffectiveness of the Commercial Office of Brazil to Taipei — an issue that has been compounded by Santos’ inappropriate and counterproductive remarks.
So long as he remains posted in Taipei, Taiwanese consumers are unlikely to welcome Brazilian “one China” beef onto store shelves.
Chen Yung-chang is a freelance writer based in Taipei.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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