The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have recently tried to clarify that their opposition to importing US pork containing ractopamine is not the same as opposing the US, and accused President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her administration of linking the two in an attempt to distort their positions.
In late August last year, the Tsai administration announced that it would lift a ban on imports of US pork containing ractopamine and beef from cattle more than 30 months old. Then-US vice president Mike Pence said that Taiwan’s decision opened the door for further economic cooperation and stronger trade ties between the nations. Then-US secretary of state Mike Pompeo echoed Pence, saying that the US welcomed Tsai’s move and that this opened the door to bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
Late last year, the American Institute in Taiwan issued a statement stressing that US exports to Taiwan and other trade partners followed international and domestic US consumer standards, and that they were safe. Politicians spreading disinformation and inciting groundless concerns among Taiwanese consumers is not helpful to anyone.
In late June, Trade and Investment Framework Agreement talks were revived after several years of being moribund, and the office of the US Trade Representative issued a news release after the meeting saying that US and Taiwanese authorities “committed to intensify engagement aimed at addressing outstanding trade concerns, including with regard to market access barriers facing US beef and pork producers.”
Be it former US president Donald Trump or US President Joe Biden, the US thinks that enhancing bilateral trade and cooperation between the countries requires lifting import restrictions on US pork and beef.
The KMT and the TPP are contradicting themselves by being strongly opposed to an issue that the US government is taking for granted and is looking forward to, while at the same time insisting that they are not opposed to the US. Deceiving themselves and others in this way is not conducive to improving Taiwan-US relations.
Huang Wei-ping works in the public service industry.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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