Beef row will not affect U.S. arms sales: Premier Wu

Washington has reacted strongly to imminent changes to a Taiwanese food law to ban high-risk U.S. beef imports, prompting speculation that the American government will take retaliation measures, including suspending weapons sales to the island.

“Under the Taiwan Relations Act, (potential retaliation) will not involve shelving arms sales to Taiwan,” Wu stressed.

Lawmakers agreed Wednesday to revise a law at the Legislature's Jan. 5 meeting to block imports of beef offal and ground beef from areas where cases of mad cow disease have been reported over the previous 10 years, including the United States.

Wu said Taiwan plans to send a delegation to the United States to mainly observe rather than explain Taiwan's revisions to the law - which will cancel a protocol signed between Taipei-Washington for lifting a ban on the imports.

The delegation, likely to be comprised of legislators and officials, would mainly inspect slaughterhouses, meat processing factories and packing procedures to better control the safety of U.S. beef that will be exported to Taiwan, the premier said.

Wu said he believes the U.S. will understand that Taiwan's legislature does not always accept all of the decisions made by the executive branch without expressing any opinions.

But professor Chen I-hsin of Tamkang University's Institute of American Studies was cited by the Central News Agency as saying that the delegation is unlikely to convince Washington.

Reneging on the protocol could trigger retaliatory moves by Washington, including shelving arms sales and cutting U.S. support for Taiwan's participation in major international organizations, the professor said.

“Taiwan would have its credibility compromised by voting into law an amendment that would reverse the protocol,” he was cited by CNA as warning.

Veteran diplomat Eugene Yi-cheng Lok also advised against adopting the revisions, because Taiwan would be accused of arbitrarily abrogating agreements.

“Except for stopping the passage of the amendment, nothing will help change the situation, not even sending a delegation to the U.S.,” Lok was cited by CNA as saying.

Meanwhile, health minister Yaung Chih-liang declined to comment on reports of President Ma Ying-jeou putting the blame on the Department of Health for the beef row.

“If you have any questions, you go ask him (the president). Don't ask me,” Yaung was cited by the United Evening News as saying in response to Ma's reported blame.

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