The Presidential Office yesterday dismissed allegations that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had promised Washington he would handle the US beef issue after his re-election, and insisted that there was no timetable in dealing with the issue.
Ma, during a meeting with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt on Wednesday, promised the new Cabinet would start discussions on the issue of beef imports after it is sworn in on Monday. He later instructed the Council of Agriculture, the Department of Health and the Ministry of Economic Affairs to deliberate on the issue as soon as possible.
The reason behind the administration’s speeding up talks on the issue is that Ma had promised the AIT he would prioritize the US beef imports issue during a Jan. 15 meeting with former AIT director Douglas Paal, according to a report in the Chinese-language China Times yesterday. The paper claimed Ma planned to facilitate the handling of the issue after his re-election.
Presidential Office spokesman Fan Chiang Tai-chi (范姜泰基) denied the allegations, and said Ma did not make any promises on the issue when meeting with US officials.
“President Ma is taking the issue seriously. Handling the issue requires science and experience as a basis. There are no premises or timetable on the issue before a consensus can be reached,” he said.
During the meeting with Paal, Ma said he expected bilateral Taiwan-US relations to continue to develop during his second term, and said that over the next four years he would solve the problem of US beef imports, push the purchase of F-16C/D jets from the US and seek to resume talks on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), Fan Chiang said.
Ma told Burghardt on Wednesday that the new Cabinet would address the US beef issue. No promises were made on the details, including whether the government might lift the ban on beef that has ractopamine residues, a controversial feed additive to enhance lean meat.
“Public health and international relations will be two key factors in the government’s handling of the issue of US beef imports,” Ma said at the time.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS