It’s in Taiwan’s broader economic, social and political interest to grow closer economic ties to the US. In the overall scheme of things this is a small price for Taiwan to pay to try to get a free trade agreement over the finish line.
The closer Taiwan and the US are economically, the more likely it is that the US would defend Taiwan if/when China makes a move.
Also, Taiwan is going to be facing headwinds regionally so pushing for an FTA with the USA is smart economic policy.
The last thing people want is lean meat, fat takes a higher price, lean fat doesn’t exist.
Agreed. But it’s not that simple for many people when it comes to domestic farming matters. There are also many cultural and national pride issues at stake as well as economic issues and many times it is framed as zero sum game with local farmers and the wider community on the losing end. Just look at the free trade debate in the US.
Free trade is complicated but the debate in the US is very different than the debate in Taiwan. Taiwan has an export-driven economy, isn’t officially recognized as a country by its biggest trading partners and faces an existential threat in China that will realistically require US intervention if shots are fired. Any cultural and national pride issues seem minor when you look at this big picture. It would be a shame if small interest groups who are delusional about the situation derail what makes sense for the county.
Agriculture and farming is always the political third rail in any country whether logical or not.
Understood but there might not be any rails in the future if Taiwan is unwilling to compromise to forge closer ties with the US. Taiwan should just pay off its farmers like the US does.
People that think US beef and pork isn’t safe could just not eat it…
Look we get the US security issue, which is not a secret.
But perhaps you could come down a bit from your imperial perch and try to think this through from a food security issue, and a livelihood issue, for folks in Taiwan.
You could also ask why the US is permitted to subsidize its agribusiness to the moon, and dump its products all over the world. But that’s a different debate, requiring perhaps a different thread.
Guy
I’m not sitting on an “imperial perch” I’m looking at the situation from a realistic perspective. I want Taiwan to continue to exist and right now closer ties with the US is one of the best ways Taiwan can deal with China’s growing threats. Whataboutism regarding US ag policy won’t help Taiwan. You could debate that for the next 10 years and it’s not going to change anything.
The reality sucks but that doesn’t mean it isn’t reality.
It’s not “whataboutism.” It’s a clear-eyed view that US agricultural products are heavily subsidized and dumped into other markets.
It’s not restricted to this current political move (it actually dates back to Taiwan entering the WTO—something that Tsai helped to negotiate during the Lee Teng-hui administration), but it’s a thing, and it will have an impact on actual people and their livelihoods in Taiwan.
Guy
Well this is an executive order that won’t require legislative approval.
Majority of Taiwanese (both green and blue) oppose this relaxation, EVEN if it is required for an FTA with the United States.
This is freaking ridiculous. Either Taiwanese are uninformed or short-sighted. The Taiwanese economy’s export-orientedness needs free trade agreements bad, especially with other Asian countries. The benefits of a USA one are limited, but what’s important is to give other countries guts to sign an FTA with Taiwan.
I see business owners complain about the lack of FTAs preventing them from being competitive in foreign markets. Tsai really, really needs to build a coalition.
She went to the London School of Economics and Political Science, for goodness sake. Her dissertation was on trade policy and not political economy, but still.
So US taxpayers are paying so Taiwanese can eat pork more cheaply? You’re welcome.
It’s called killing off local production, driving competition out of business.
But of course you know you that.
Guy
Not really, it’s to keep meat conglomerates in the US happy.
Taiwan can pay them off too. Agriculture is heavily subsidized everywhere. No one will care in a year or two once we sign the FTA anyway.
End to the ban but there will still be a ban.
Had to happen. I used to be proud of taiwan saying no to chinese styled bully tactics on this one. But now is the great time to do this. KMT and DPP have long given in to pressure from local meat market, which is pretty strong. Taiwan uses a lot of ractopamine. They are catching feed businesses constantly with it in it. Its asmall fine and on they go. The farmers are happy to have it.
Glad to see we finally have a. president with enough balls to say no to big pig, and get on with buying lots more chinese killing murder toys.
What are the korean fish fans going to have left to fight with if we just keep winning like this?
Except Singapore. Singapore doesn’t have farmers.
Be nice if Taiwan allows Italian prosciutto
Now that is the real tragedy. The disallowance of True Prosciutto.
