Despite stern warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration against using toothpaste imported from China, Taiwan's Bureau of Foreign Trade yesterday said it had no plans to test all imported toothpaste for traces of diethylene glycol (DEG).
"We will work closely with the Department of Health as soon as the health authorities decide what to do," James Wu (吳新華), spokesman and deputy director-general of the bureau said, in a telephone interview.
"But for the moment, we have no plan to ask customs officials to stop all toothpaste -- whether it's from China or other parts of the world -- from entering Taiwan," he said.
Taiwan imported a total of 82.77 million kilograms of toothpaste worth US$21.36 million from China last year, the nation's customs statistics showed.
Wu said toothpaste imports are not subject to inspection by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, unless the products are meant for medical use.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said earlier this week that official Taiwanese imports of Chinese-made toothpaste did not contain diethylene glycol. However, it could not confirm whether any such Chinese imports were brought in and sold at local stores.
Wu didn't elaborate on what actions the ministry would take and if they would involve a thorough inspection of local store shelves.
"That will depend on the health authorities' final decision," he said.
Bureau of Pharmaceutical Affairs Director Liao Chi-chou (廖繼洲) said yesterday that the health department only directly supervises two brands of toothpaste with claims to medical efficacy, and both are made in Taiwan.
"I cannot comment on whether or not we have imported other, non-medicated toothpastes from China," he said.
However, Liao warned the public to discard any toothpaste from China, saying: "The DEG is a cheap substitute for glycerine. It has similar physical properties, but it damages the kidneys."
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS