President Tsai Ing-wen announced last week that Taiwan will relax its ban on meat imports from the US. The announcement drew immediate backlash from the KMT and some worried pig farmers. But this issue isn’t a new one in Taiwan.
Previous administrations have tried to make changes to meat import policies, only to face similar criticism.
Debates over Taiwan’s policy on imported meat have always been rooted in politics. Many say they don’t want leanness-enhancing additives in their pork, and others say they worry about mad-cow disease. But then, there are also Taiwan’s trade ties with the US to consider.
Though food safety concerns are a priority, ruling and opposition parties have also fought endlessly about imports of US beef and pork over successive administrations. Might doing so keep Taiwan-US relations stable, or even boost Taiwan’s trade advantages?
During his time in office, former President Chen Shui-bian of the DPP gradually allowed conditional beef imports from the US, ending a complete ban caused by mad-cow disease. This drew heavy criticism from the opposition KMT.
But just a few years later, after the KMT won the Presidential Office, it decided to import more US beef. The DPP made sure to remind voters of this in later campaign ads.
Then-President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT promised that food safety would come first, and that cattle innards would still be banned. But Tsai Ing-wen, then DPP chairwoman, vowed with her party to support those protesting the relaxed policies. The Ma administration was slammed for kowtowing to the US.
A few years on, it’s Tsai and the DPP relaxing policies, and the KMT on the offensive. Former Premier William Lai has acknowledged this bipartisan flip-flopping. “When the DPP is in power, the opposition is against the policy. When it’s the KMT’s turn, the DPP opposes it.”
Is it impossible to find the balance between food safety, better trade deals, and better diplomatic ties?