U.S. officials deny that the U.S. and Taiwan will sign a free trade agreement, Taiwan media: let the outside world clearly understand the fictitious and real Taiwan-US relations
[Global Times reporter Zhang Tianxing] The Tsai Ing-wen authorities have adopted a pro-American policy one-sidedly since they came to power. One of the purposes is to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. However, although the Taiwan authorities have repeatedly declared that this is the best moment for Taiwan-US relations, in the face of interests, the US Trade Representative has denied the possibility of signing an FTA with Taiwan, and poured cold water on the Democratic Progressive Party.
According to Taiwan's "China Times" report on the 10th, seeing the continuous conflict and confrontation between the mainland and the United States, the DPP authorities attempted to take the opportunity to start negotiations on a free trade agreement with the United States. In Washington, the hawks demand increased pressure on Beijing in all aspects. Among them, the State Council and the National Security Council proposed to push the United States to sign a free trade agreement with Taiwan, believing that this could hit Beijing's "pain points." As early as last December, 160 members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to US Trade Representative Lighthizer, calling for the launch of US-Taiwan FTA negotiations, creating jobs for the US, and clarifying the US’s security commitments to Taiwan and the region. On July 30, Jadner, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Group of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, who has always been pro-Taiwan, also sent a letter to Lighthizer, urging him to start FTA negotiations between the United States and Taiwan and deepen economic and trade relations with Taiwan. He also claimed that he hopes to participate in the current Congress. Before the end of the term of office (January 3, 2021), the congressmen saw the US and Taiwan sign a free trade agreement. However, people familiar with the matter revealed that Lighthizer recently wrote to Texas Republican Senator Corning that “the United States and Taiwan still face long-term trade barriers. Taiwan restricts the entry of US beef and pork products into the market, despite Taiwan’s previous commitments to resolve these issues.” .
In fact, the "Taipei Act" introduced in the United States in March this year also talked about this point. The bill stated that "the United States is Taiwan's second largest trading partner, and Taiwan is the 11th largest trading partner of the United States, and is a key US agricultural export target." According to the Economic Daily, this provision clarifies that “Taiwan’s contribution to U.S. trade is only moderate. The key to the benefit of Taiwan’s U.S. FTA is U.S. agricultural exports. The substantial liberalization of U.S. agricultural imports (U.S. pigs) is an FTA proposed by the U.S. Congress. condition".
Taiwan’s delay in opening up U.S. pig imports has two main considerations: one is food safety. Although the U.S. insists that clenbuterol is harmless to human health, the food safety groups on the island have doubts about this statement; the second is the low level of U.S. pork. The price advantage may affect the livelihoods of pig farmers on the island. Take Taiwan’s opened chicken imports as an example (the United States is a large volume). Its low prices quickly seized the Taiwanese restaurant market. Since 2005, imports have been fully opened. That year, the import volume was 74,000 tons and reached 200,000 tons by the end of 2018. With a market share of 55%, it has surpassed local chicken production. Some Taiwanese media predict that if American pig imports are fully liberalized, low-priced American pork may fully occupy group meals (group meal services) and affordable take-out food within ten years, sweeping 30% to 50% of the Taiwanese pork market.
From 2000 to 2020, whether it is the Kuomintang or the DPP in power, the scene of the confrontation between the two sides has been repeated repeatedly. When Chen Shui-bian was in power in 2006, he announced to the WTO that he was going to lift the ban on Clenbuterol, but he was strongly opposed by civil organizations and the Kuomintang. When Ma Ying-jeou was in power in 2012, the Kuomintang expressed its willingness to open the U.S. beef conditionally. The DPP did not hesitate to occupy the rostrum of the "Legislative Yuan" for 5 days and 4 nights, and finally blocked the proposal. In 2016, the DPP came to power again and vowed to resist the United States. The bully became the Kuomintang.
In response to the U.S.'s renewed FTA conditions, the KMT Chairman Jiang Qichen stated on the 10th that there are no permanent friends and enemies in the world, only permanent interests. At this time, Azar signed a memorandum of health cooperation in Taiwan, but the trade representative vetoed the FTA in Washington. What does it mean? The Cai government should think carefully." "Legislative member" Xie Yifeng said that pig farmers have been opposed to opening up U.S. pig imports, which will undoubtedly have a great impact on them; and compared with good quality Taiwanese pork, if there are a lot of uneven quality pork on the market, Not conducive to consumer rights. She urged the Democratic Progressive Party not to be overly inclined to the United States. This will not do much to Taiwan's "diplomatic" situation. "If the United States really regards Taiwan as an ally, it should have more economic commitments or concessions to Taiwan." Zhong Jiabin, secretary of the DPP’s “Legislative Yuan,” said that the US is a negative factor for Taiwan and the United States to sign an FTA, but once the positive factors outweigh the negative, there is no need to be pessimistic about the possibility of future Taiwan-US cooperation. Taiwan’s "Ministry of Economic Affairs" officials said that the relationship between Taiwan and the United States has become closer recently, which is also reflected in the investment of both parties. For example, Formosa Plastics and TSMC have invested in the United States. "It is difficult to negotiate an FTA." "China Times" commented on the 10th that Xiao Meiqin of the Democratic Progressive Party as the representative to the United States, an important task is to sign a free trade agreement with the United States. Now the United States has set conditions, “Compared with the DPP’s fierce opposition to the import of American pigs and cattle containing clenbuterol, is it now to fight diplomacy and the past persistence has also changed?” United News Network said on the 10th, the United States Trade Representative. The USTR has no intention of negotiating the signing of the US-Taiwan Free Trade Agreement, which "breaks through the best Taiwan-US relationship in history, and also allows the outside world to clearly understand the reality and the truth of Taiwan-US relations."