US Senator from Iowa Chuck Grassley has thanked Taiwanese voters for rejecting a proposal to reinstate restrictions on pork imports that would have affected US pork.
In January, Taiwan’s ruling party lifted a ban on importing pork treated with the leanness-enhancing additive ractopamine, much of which is produced in the US. In a referendum last Saturday, voters were asked whether the government should reinstate the ban. The measure failed to pass.
Had the measure passed, it would have dealt a blow to the US-Taiwan trade relationship.
Grassley Tweeted “Taiwanese people rejected [a] referendum that [would] [have] overturned [President] Tsai’s move [to] allow imports of quality US pork into Taiwan. [Thank you to the] Taiwanese [government] & [citizens] for your friendship. I look [forward] to expanded trade.”
Meanwhile, US Iowa Representative Ashley Hinson also Tweeted that Taiwan is a “partner in democracy & continues to be a strong export market for Iowa pork producers.”