American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director William Stanton yesterday described the ongoing controversy over imports of US beef with ractopamine residues as a “hostage to domestic political battle” in the legislature as he warned Taiwanese politicians about possible repercussions for US-Taiwan relations and Taiwan’s bid to join in regional economic integration.
In a speech delivered at a lunch hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, Stanton highlighted the importance of Taiwan’s policy on residue in beef of the leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine to US-Taiwan relations.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration proposed conditionally relaxing the ban after his re-election in the hopes that it would facilitate resumption of talks between the US and Taiwan under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), but the legislature recently ended its session without passing the law because of an opposition boycott.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
“[US] beef has now become a hostage to the domestic political battle in the Legislative Yuan, with opponents of US beef showing little regard apparently for the consequences for Taiwan’s relationship with the US, and more broadly, with the rest of the trading world,” Stanton said.
Stanton cast doubt on the intentions of the opposition and other critics of imports of US beef containing ractopamine residues over “fears” that such imports would lead to imports of US pork containing ractopamine residues, and for “political gains” under the pretext of a concern for food safety.
“I think some of the politicians here sometimes forget that we also have politicians in the US, and they very much read the Taiwan media. What you said about poisonous US beef is not well received there by people traditionally best friends of Taiwan,” he said.
In his 35-minute speech on US-Taiwan relations as he reviewed the AIT’s achievements during his tenure as director, Stanton spent nearly one-third of his time on trade issues.
Overall, the trade record between the US and Taiwan was “not bad,” but there are challenges Taiwan must overcome to continue to make progress, he said.
Stanton said he is “especially mindful” of Taiwan’s wish to have a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the US and to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but to demonstrate both its commitment and its ability to achieve these ambitious and commendable goals, “Taiwan must undertake very serious reform efforts.”
US beef is the issue that has become “the symbolic embodiment of Taiwan’s protected markets,” Stanton said, adding that many local industries in Taiwan now “enjoy a high level of protection from foreign competition.”
Taiwan took gradual steps to liberalize trade as part of its accession to the WTO 10 years ago, but the problem is “it has done nothing lately” in this regard, Stanton said.
Stanton, who is set to retire at the end of next month, said that resolving the US issue was like going through a tunnel.
“There may, however, be light at the end of the tunnel. What for me has been a very long and dark tunnel,” he said.
On defense issues, Stanton said Taiwan’s defense budget is “deficient” and he was not optimistic that Taiwan has the ability to confidently manage cross-strait relations and to contribute to regional stability with its limited defense budget.
The US government applauded Ma’s rapprochement policies for maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but “we firmly believe it’s equally important for Taiwan to strengthen ties with our traditional friends and new friends as well,” Stanton said.
Stanton added that he is “extremely confident” that Taiwan will soon enter the US Visa Waiver Program after it was nominated as a candidate for the program in December.
Stanton said that in a Taipei Times report on March 29, 2009 — before he took over as AIT director — he was described as being “excessively pro-China,” while the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) previously had a report saying he was deemed by Beijing officials in Washington as “pro-Taiwan.”
“It is true [that I am pro-Taiwan]. When I walk down the hall in the US State Department, colleagues often run in the opposite direction, because they feel that I would bang their ears about Taiwan. I have been outspoken and aggressively pursuing what I think is good for US-Taiwan relations and for the US,” he said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese