MEDIA REACTION: U.S. BEEF IMPORTS TO TAIWAN

UNCLAS AIT TAIPEI 001315 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/TC, EAP/P, EAP/PD - THOMAS HAMM DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO TW SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S. BEEF IMPORTS TO TAIWAN ¶1. Summary: Taiwan's major Chinese-language dailies focused news coverage November 6 on the earthquake that struck Nantou County on Thursday evening, on the breakout of H1N1 swine flu on a pig farm in Taitung, which was the first case of man-to-pig infection in Taiwan; and on Premier Wu Den-yih's relationship with a convicted felon. ¶2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a column by a local well-known radio host and an op-ed by DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" both alleged that a joint statement released by the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was a warning to the Ma Ying-jeou administration over the Ma administration's use of administrative measures to ban risky U.S. beef products. The two articles questioned the effectiveness and legitimacy of those administrative means. Those measures might hurt the Ma administration's credibility as well, said the two articles. End summary. A) "Cleaning Up the Mess Left by a Wrongdoing and Incompetent Government" DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming wrote an op-ed in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] (11/6): "... In fact, the Executive Yuan's administrative measures [to ban the import of risky U.S. beef products] have [drawn] a warning by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). [USTR and USDA] stated that the [Taiwan government's] moves have violated a protocol signed between Taiwan and the United States. The legislature's move to revise the law [the Act Governing Food Sanitation] and the signature drive to hold a referendum [which would require the government to renegotiate the beef deal with the United States] are actually more legitimate than using administrative means to bar [the import of risky U.S. beef products] and less susceptible to trade retaliation by opponents. On the contrary, [the Ma administration's move to] unilaterally use administrative measures to limit [U.S. beef imports] after singing the protocol ... [violates] the protocol it signed. The [Ma administration's use of these] measures is like openly cheating another signatory state and is more likely to be questioned. ..." B) "Beef Bones, Beef Offal, and Beef Slaughterhouse" Jaw Shao-kong, a radio program host, wrote in his column in the mass-circulation "Apple Daily" [circulation: 520,000] (11/6): "... The [Ma Ying-jeou] government's 'administrative measures,' especially thawing U.S. beef offal and ground beef for examination, are bad tricks, dirty tricks and absolutely vile tricks that are neither open nor aboveboard at all. The government should be frank and upright, rather than playing shameful tricks. ... The [Ma] government was complacent, and thought that it had attended to every detail by meeting the Americans' request as well as echoing the public opinion in Taiwan. It [the Ma government] even claimed that it has obtained a tacit understanding with Americans and had Americans' understanding [on the administrative measures]. ... I saw the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of United States Department of Agriculture saying that they want to review whether the measures that Taiwan imposed on imported [U.S. beef] are consistent with the protocol and other international guidelines; whether [the measures] would limit Taiwan consumers' right of choice and therefore prevent the people of Taiwan from eating the American beef and beef products that Americans have been eating. "If opening [Taiwan's market] is equivalent to not opening [Taiwan's market] and [you are] letting the Americans down in the end, do you think the Americans would let it go at that? According to [American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director] William Stanton's style, would he just laugh the matter off? "It was originally said that opening [Taiwan's market] to U.S. beef spinal cords and beef offal would get three major things in return [from the United States], which are a free trade agreement, the F-16 C/D fighter jets and the visa-waiver treatment for the people of Taiwan. Now, [the Ma administration] wants to use 'administrative measures' plus thawing Americans' beef. How can [the Ma administration] get [anything] in return in the future? ..." STANTON