As
the beef row rages on, the de facto United States embassy in Taiwan yesterday
announced the postponement of a planned visit by a senior US official,
originally set for later this month.
Citing “unforeseen circumstances” as the main
reason, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said it decided to postpone the
planned March 4-6 visit of Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade
Francisco Sanchez to Taiwan.
The AIT said in a released statement that it
is currently considering options for a future visit by Sanchez, and that the US
government looks forward to continued cooperation on economic and trade
relations with Taiwan, which is the US' 10th largest trading partner, it added.
The AIT represents US interests in Taiwan in
the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
The delay comes amid the ongoing US beef
import controversy in Taiwan over the ban on ractopamine, a leanness-enhancing
drug often fed to cattle in the US.
The Taiwan government, under pressure from the
US, has been considering whether to relax its zero-tolerance ban on ractopamine
and allow the sale of US meat products containing traces of the drug.
Ractopamine is allowed in livestock feed in
more than 20 countries around the world, including the US, but is banned in
Taiwan, China, the European Union and more than 100 other countries.
Taiwan was originally one leg of Sanchez's
ongoing Asian trip to promote US President Barack Obama's National Export
Initiative, which aims to double US exports by the end of 2014, according to a
previous AIT press release.
During his stay in Taiwan, Sanchez was
originally scheduled to meet with President Ma Ying-jeou, other authorities,
and local business leaders.
Asked by reporters whether the decision is
related to the beef dispute, AIT spokesman Chris Kavanagh yesterday did not
directly answer the question.
Kavanagh confirmed that Sanchez is currently
visiting Japan, but refused to disclose the official's itinerary in Asia
following the stop in Japan.
Meanwhile, echoing the AIT's statement, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday also released a statement, saying
that the US official's trip was postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
The MOFA hopes Sanchez can reschedule the trip
and visit Taiwan some other time in the near future to further boost bilateral
exchanges and cooperation, it said.
Also yesterday, the AIT released another
statement in a move to dispel “extensive misinformation” about US beef and
ractopamine.
This is the AIT's second attempt to back the
safety of US beef amid local concerns over its safety. It previously released a
similar statement to media late February on the heels of the second
interministerial forum over ractopamine held by Taiwan's Cabinet.
The AIT released a document backing the safety
of US beef with ractopamine residues yesterday, the second endorsement made in
10 days to reduce the public's concerns over potential health risks posed by
the feed additive.
The document, designed in a question and
answer format, addressed commonly asked questions, such as why do only 27
countries worldwide allow ractopamine for feed use.
“The truth is that the manufacturer has
applied for approval only in countries that have significant commercial domestic
animal production or that are major markets for US exports of beef or pork,” it
explained.
The AIT noted that the European Union, China
and Taiwan are the only major markets that impose a ban on domestic use and
meat imports with ractopamine residues.
Other issues discussed in the document include
the reasons why the US ships ractopamine-free beef to the EU and not Taiwan,
and the link between consumption of ractopamine and possible suicide in humans.
A six-page report on the facts about US beef
and ractopamine was released earlier on February 21, the same day that the
government held a second cross-ministerial meeting to discuss the possibility
of lifting Taiwan's ban on the growth-enhancing drug.
A third meeting will be convened March 3.
Meanwhile, local people remained skeptical on
the safety of ractopamine despite the US endorsement.
“The US only serves its interest (in releasing
such documents),” said Pan Lien-chou, a member of the Republic of China Swine
Association's standing supervisory committee.
To protest US pressure on Taiwan to relax
ractopamine regulations, Pan said his association will hold a large-scale
demonstration on March 8 at the Legislative Yuan.
More than 10,000 farmers nationwide are
expected to participate.
“It is America's freedom to give out whatever
information it wants,” said Chen Man-li, a member of the Homemaker's Union and
Foundation, another organisation that is opposed to ractopamine use.
“But we ask that the US respects Taiwan
people's choice in the decision-making process,” she said. “The US should stop
imposing what they think to be true on us.”
Joseph Yeh
The China Post
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