Breaking News, World News and Taiwan News.

Updated Tuesday, January 31, 2012 0:06 am TWN, By Joseph Yeh ,The China Post

Sponsors
▪	Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.
▪	Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.
▪	Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!
▪	Save 75% for all hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and whole China. Lowest rates for Flights in China.

Beef dispute flare up only latest in long row

The U.S. beef issue has been a source of dispute between Taipei and Washington for nearly a decade. Taiwan first banned U.S. beef in December 2003, after the latter acknowledged its first case of mad cow disease. In 2006, Taiwan opened its markets to boneless U.S. beef from cattle aged 30 months or younger.

In November 2009, the country further opened its market to U.S. bone-in beef after local officials signed a deal with American counterparts in the same year.

However, in January 2011, Taiwan found traces of locally banned feed additive ractopamine — which promotes the production of lean meat in cattle — in some U.S. beef.

Local authorities decided to remove those American beef products from sale following the discovery.

The move angered Washington, which reportedly suspended scheduled free trade talks with Taiwan, which had been set for January of the same year.

Since then, the U.S. has repeatedly urged Taiwan to accept a maximum residue limit for ractopamine instead of insisting on the zero-tolerance policy that it currently holds.

NT$3.39 Billion Trade Issue

In fact U.S. beef has never been a major part of bilateral trade.

According to Bruce Linghu, director-general of Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Department of North American Affairs, imports of American beef to Taiwan only stand at around 0.5 percent of total U.S. imports to the country annually.

Taiwan is U.S. beef exporters' sixth-largest market by value, worth US$114 million (NT$3.39 billion) as of October 2009, comparing to overall U.S. exports valued at US$14.5 billion for the first 10 months of that year.

Therefore, Taiwan has continued to urge Washington not to let the beef issue be an obstacle for improving bilateral trade.

However, to the American government, the relatively small amount of trade doesn't prevent them from pressing Taiwan to change its zero-tolerance policy.

The move came not only as a result of strong pressure from those U.S. states which depend mainly on agricultural business, it was also because the U.S. is afraid Taiwan's continued ban could lead other Asian countries following suit.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

Comments

January 31, 2012 bibotkngo57@

Taiwan has long been known as an unfair agricultural trader. Because it tries to protect its own farmers and agricultural industries from being decimated by cheaper agricultural products from other countries. It tries to use all kinds of legal barriers to prevent competitors from entering the Taiwan market. That is the reason why it is unable to enter a free trade agreement with its neighbors.

February 1, 2012 hukech@

bibotkngo57@ wrote:
Taiwan has long been known as an unfair agricultural trader. Because it tries to protect its own farmers and agricultural industries from being decimated by cheaper agricultural products from other countries. It tries to use all kinds of legal barriers to prevent competitors from entering the Taiwan market. That is the reason why it is unable to enter a free trade agreement with its neighbors.

I'd also like to add that the Australian beef importers in Taiwan have a virtual monopoly on beef imports, and they'd like to keep it that way. By funneling a ton of money in lobbying the Taiwan government, they're able to prevent U.S. and Japanese beef from being imported into Taiwan.

February 2, 2012 johnny.brian@

If hundreds Taiwanese die from Mad Cow Disease, it is a very big issue, as it is a Cow Yao (political topic) issue, nothing serious and dragging for years as if there will be something new to write and both governments love to play with. Get over with and starts enjoy some good Beef Steak.

February 2, 2012 elumpen@

That does happen, but in this case I don't think it's about protectionism (and in any case, US agricultural products are heavily subsidized, which puts them at an unfair advantage). Taiwan is perfectly entitled to implement laws regarding public safety and chemicals in food. Ractopamine, for example, is banned as a feed additive in most of the world. If the US is not prepared to conform to local quality standards, then it cannot export products here. It's that simple.

February 3, 2012 ludahai_twn@

Mad Cow Disease is not a problem in the U.S. beef industry like it is in the UK. You need to inform yourself with objective information rather than watch the late night political talk shows.