Taiwan to lift ractopamine restrictions

Offer us some high end jets, missles and air craft carrier protection and you just may get your wish :slight_smile:

Actually they do and they are growing their ag sector.

I definitely dont want and won’t eat it but I want the meat to be clearly labeled where it is from to make that choice. It gets murky if they start hiding this data to take away customer choice

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So Taiwan substitutes one political bully with another bully. Buy our stuff or else no support. Taiwan can look to Canada as to what happens when the USA doesn’t get their way with free trade agreements. They just slap their own rules against the agreements and tell the other country too bad. Korea got a taste of that ‘free trade’ love too.

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I wonder if the haters in this thread know this silly ban is the biggest reason salaries have been stuck for the last ten years.

No, it’s not the minimum wage.

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Do you honestly believe that the US is a bully to Taiwan?

Does the US claim Taiwan as its territory? Does it threaten to take Taiwan by force? Does the US try to interfere with Taiwan’s internal politics? Does the US use economic coercion to poach Taiwan’s allies and keep Taiwan from participating in international organizations? Has the US detained Taiwanese citizens without due process?

The US isn’t conditioning a commitment to defend Taiwan based on an FTA or lack thereof. But it’s fairly obvious that it wouldn’t hurt Taiwan to get closer to the US.

The US is the largest consumer market on the planet. Taiwan is tiny by comparison. Taiwan already runs a $14 billion trade surplus with the US so economically, a deal would be a lot more meaningful for Taiwan based on the size of the markets alone. And that’s not to mention the legitimacy that an FTA with the US would give Taiwan, which could lead to other big FTAs.

Trade agreements are a give and take. Countries almost always have to compromise. Ag is important to the US. If Taiwan won’t compromise around ag imports from the US, what can it offer to make a deal sensible? It’s not bullying to negotiate a deal that isn’t one sided.

You complain about Canada and Korea but last time I checked, both of them run trade surpluses with the US. Trade agreements aren’t static. The world has changed a lot and is changing ever faster. Trade agreements are complex and can be renegotiated and modified as circumstances warrant, just like any business arrangement.

Can’t we already buy US beef in Taiwan supermarkets? What’s new?

For beef, this means Taiwan can import beef from cattle over 30 months old. That hasn’t been possible to date because of mad cow disease concerns.

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So now mentioning things like food security, the livelihood of farmers, and the practices of US agribusiness makes one a “hater”?

If so, I’ll wear it proudly. :rofl:

Guy

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Since now there’s an internationally approved standard on detectable trace ractopamine allowed, I have no issue with Taiwan following that standard, especially when Taiwan has already been importing US beef based on that same standard.

On the other hand, the effects of ractopamine are poorly studied. The US is single-handedly shoving ractopamine down everyone’s throats. Most countries bans domestic ractopamine use, and only allows import product containing ractopamine to placate the US.

By the way, many Asian countries do not shy away from eating beef or pork intestines, they would be subjected to a much higher level of ractopamine residue than people in the US who only eat steaks and pork chops. If the the government ever allows beef or pork intestines import, then it’s a pretty significant threat to public health.

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You mean when the USA warrants. Picking fights with all their allies isn’t a winning strategy long term. Trump says, take this deal or no deal. So smaller economies need to suck it up or no deal. That’s a bully, yes.
Canada arrests the huawei princess and they say we will consider trading her if a deal was made. In the meantime Canada gets the ire from China.
If there is trade imbalances, it’s because your industries are in demand of our products more than the other way around.

But you’ve seen the extreme bullying and weaponisation of trade China does when it feels just evenly slighted. Right?

They’ve already estimated the impact of a US-Taiwan FTA and let’s just say the gains are modest.

This is a gateway to Japan and more regional FTAs.

I eat liver and onions regularly at Bob and Edith’s diner. It’s fine.

A good idea and what is the issue? Consumers still have a choice to consume it or not and they are informed consumers.

The US doesn’t seek balance the way I think you’re implying. The US is often a net importer of goods and a net exporter of services. In many cases the US cares more about access to markets for strategic industries, not overall trade deficits. And then there’s access to capital markets, intellectual property protections, etc.

It might be fine for some people, but as I’ve mentioned, the effects are poorly studied.

Some earlier in this thread mentioned that local producers use ractopamine as well, and he ban is just not enforced. If there true, there’s your study.

Then you and I have a very different definition of what constitutes a “study”.

I prefer mine with double blinded control and statistically significant correlations beyond anecdotal examples.

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So you’re going to give people ractopamine without even telling them, is that what you’re saying?

How’s it an anecdote when the general Taiwanese population is eating ractopamine already?