Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Liao Wan-ju (廖婉汝) yesterday lashed out at the US and conflated different trade agreements during a discussion at the legislature over the importation of US pork.
She made the remarks during a Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting on progress toward joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Officials during the question-and-answer session seemed taken aback by her claims, including a suggestion that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has been trying to sign a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with other countries, but that all existing agreements were signed under former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Screen grab from a Legislative Yuan live broadcast
Liao apparently meant to say free-trade agreements (FTAs) instead of the RCEP, which is a 15-member pact led by China that was signed in November last year.
“Now we want to enter the CPTPP, but we have not even signed one [FTA],” she said. “Had we signed it before, we would not be using ractopamine pork as an excuse.”
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui (俞大?) said that imports of pork with traces of the leanness-enhancing additive are in agreement with global standards.
The government is continuing to pursue bilateral trade agreements, but is focusing on joining the CPTPP, as it would amount to signing many bilateral agreements at once, he said.
It does not matter whether Taiwan or China applied to join the bloc first, as Taiwan conforms with the CPTPP’s requirements, while China does not, he added.
Liao also challenged Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih’s (陳駿季) statement that China banned certain fruit imports from Taiwan in contravention of WTO rules.
“Wrong. The problem is that our fruits have a lot of insects,” she said, calling for better inspections if the nation hopes to join the CPTPP.
She also said that rejecting pork containing traces of ractopamine had nothing to do with Taiwan’s CPTPP bid, as the US is not involved in that trade bloc.
“Japan is the leader and Singapore will take over next. What the hell does that have to do with the US. Will the US influence the CPTPP?” she said. “If we did not buy arms, the US would object, but 1 or 2 percent of ractopamine pork is nothing.”
Chen said that all CPTPP members accept imports of pork containing traces of ractopamine, as it is the global standard, adding that joining the pact would give Taiwan international credibility.
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