In response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban paper straws, Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啓明) said in an interview on Wednesday that Taiwan’s plastic restriction policy has been effective and will not change.
The executive order aims to undo former President Joe Biden’s efforts to lower consumption of single-use plastics. In January, Trump also signed an executive order suspending new offshore wind lease sales in federal waters, the latest move in his long history of outspoken opposition to wind energy.
Peng speculated that while Trump may be motivated by previous experiences with poor-quality paper straws that dissolve during use, the paper straws manufactured in Taiwan present no such issues. He emphasized that as Taiwan has been successful in reducing plastic use, the government will continue to promote relevant policies and follow global plastic conventions.
As for wind power, Peng said that both onshore and offshore wind turbines pose challenges; the former causes noise pollution, while the latter raises concerns about damage to marine ecology. However, according to international trends, renewable energy remains the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions and minimize adverse impacts on the environment. Taiwan therefore will continue to develop in this direction, he said.