The executive branch last night asked the legislature to hold a provisional session to vote on a bill that would allow beef imports containing residues of the livestock feed additive ractopamine after the legislative session ended at 6pm yesterday without voting on the beef issue.
The Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan issued the call following a three-hour meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Premier Sean Chen (陳冲), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and top officials on solutions to the stalled draft bill on beef -containing ractopamine residues.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Lin Hung-chih (林鴻池) last night said the caucus would table a motion for an extra session next week to pass the amendment to the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法).
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
“The beef issue will be the only subject discussed at the provisional session. We hope that it can be held next week,” he said.
After the KMT caucus submits the proposal, Wang must call an informal meeting for lawmakers to decide whether to hold the extra session.
The conclusion reached at the meeting called by Ma last night departed from the KMT caucus’ earlier position, with KMT lawmakers supporting a proposal at a caucus meeting held on Thursday to ask the Executive Yuan to issue an executive order to relax the ban on beef containing ractopamine.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), said the caucus would do everything in its power to block the amendment.
“It is unavoidable that there will be a fight if the KMT tries to ram through the amendment,” Ker said.
In light of the failure of the legislature to pass the amendment yesterday, the last day of the legislative session, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) expressed the hope that “the Executive Yuan will finally be able to bring this to a speedy resolution.”
“We maintain that US beef is safe and remind Taiwanese consumers that millions of people in the US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, and many other countries around the world have continued to enjoy US beef without a single report of ill effects linked to ractopmaine,” AIT spokesperson Sheila Paskman said.
The AIT was “disappointed that some in Taiwan chose to make the discussion about US beef a political issue and intentionally provide misleading and in many cases false information to political gains,” Paskman said.
Earlier yesterday Ma reiterated his expectation that the issue of US beef imports would be resolved as soon as possible when meeting with Harvard University professor Ezra Vogel at the Presidential Office. He said that lifting the ban on the import of US beef containing ractompaine residue would facilitate Taiwan’s trade relations with the US and other countries.
Ma said this was a “critical moment” for Taiwan to finally deal with the issue of US beef imports, so as to speed up trade negotiations with the US and other trade partners.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
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
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
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
RSS