December 2, 2010

Taiwan's ban on US beef could hamper trade

The US expressed concern over Taiwan's restrictions on the imports of certain US beef products, saying these limits could complicate the bilateral trade between the sides.

The visiting chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Raymond Burghard, stated that the Taiwanese government should not let the dispute become an obstacle for reinvigorating the TIFA (Trade and Investment Framework Agreement) talks.

Taiwan's own risk assessment had determined that US beef is safe. However, the restrictions were implemented despite a bilateral agreement last October on a beef protocol with Washington, he added.

"Taiwan's failure to implement this bilateral agreement has complicated our trade relationship by calling into question Taiwan's reliability and credibility as a negotiating partner," Burghardt made the comment during an annual American Chamber of Commerce general meeting in Taipei Tuesday (Nov 30).

The TIFA talks were suspended in 2007 after Taiwan prohibited the import of US beef over fears that it could cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an incurable and fatal neurological disorder caused by certain cattle.

Taiwan later agreed in a protocol last October to lift a ban on US bone-in beef and certain other beef products. The ban had been in place since 2003, when mad cow disease was reported in the US, and has been partially lifted at intervals since then.

Amid public concern that some of the products allowed under the October protocol could pose a health risk to consumers, the Legislative Yuan passed a bill in January that barred the import of ground beef, offal and other beef parts such as skulls, brains, eyes and spines.