After extensive wrangling, it’s a done deal: as of Friday, Taiwan has officially lifted restrictions on US pork containing the additive ractopamine. This change in policy has been controversial, but now that the policy is changed, President Tsai Ing-wen is asking for the nation’s understanding.
2021 is here. It’s a year that many hope will bring changes, changes like an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Taiwan, the New Year has already brought a change, and this is a change that many are unhappy about. After the official New Year’s flag raising ceremony at the Presidential Office Friday, President Tsai Ing-wen addressed this change and asked for the public’s understanding.
Taiwan has just lifted long standing restrictions on the import of US pork, specifically pork treated with the additive ractopamine. Despite assurances, many Taiwanese people remain unconvinced that the additive is safe for human consumption. Opposition lawmakers wasted no time turning the issue into a chance for publicity, even going so far as to throw pig guts on the Legislature floor.
But despite resistance, it’s now over: the restrictions are lifted, lifting with them a sore spot in US-Taiwan trade ties. In her New Year’s address, the president said that Taiwan is a nation that relies on trade. She said that three presidential administrations have failed to resolve the US pork issue, and that the nation no longer has room to avoid dealing with it. She said that the decision to lift restrictions on US pork products was made after careful consideration and asked for the nation’s understanding.