Just after the Spring Festival holiday, the DPP authorities suddenly announced the lifting of the 11-year ban on the import of food from the 5 counties of Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster, which caused an uproar in the island's public opinion.
On February 8, the administrative agency of the Taiwan authorities held a press conference, announcing the opening of food from 5 prefectures of Japan, including Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, and Chiba, into Taiwan, and proposed so-called corresponding supporting measures. The announcement will be completed in late February. effective procedure.
The DPP claims that there are multiple means to carry out strict testing, but it is difficult to convince the public.
On March 11, 2011, a major earthquake occurred in Japan, causing a radiation leak from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
From March 25 of the same year, Taiwan banned the import of food from the five counties affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident.
After many years, Taiwanese people still have doubts about related food and strongly oppose the policy.
The former "Lai pig", the latter "nuclear disaster area food"?
It is not the first time that the DPP authorities have "surprise-style" to allow food with potential safety concerns to enter the island.
On August 28, 2020, the DPP authorities suddenly announced that they planned to open the import of US pigs and US cattle containing ractopamine (a type of clenbuterol), which had not been discussed publicly before.
The DPP intends to lift the ban on food in Japan's nuclear accident-stricken areas.
However, in 2018, the island held an "anti-nuclear food referendum", which was passed by an overwhelming majority of 7.79 million yes votes to 2.23 million no votes.
The picture shows the blue camp politicians submitting a joint letter on the eve of the "anti-nuclear food referendum".
Image source: Zhongshi News Network
Now that the "lifting of the ban" is suddenly announced, is public opinion changing?
of course not.
According to a poll conducted by the "Beautiful Island Electronic News" in December last year, nearly 58% of the people who participated in the survey opposed the opening of imports; a similar survey conducted by the pro-green organization "Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation" in January this year, 54.6% of the people also said that " We do not support opening up the import of food from nuclear disaster areas."
In addition, Taiwanese portal Yahoo Qimo launched a survey on February 8 entitled "Fukushima Food in Japan Lifting the Ban, Do You Agree?" As of 17:00 on the 9th, more than 70% of the people who participated in the survey expressed "disagreement" , "completely disagree" accounted for 60.3%.
However, the DPP authorities regarded the relevant public opinion expressions as nothing.
In order to lay out the policy to lift the ban, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration released the so-called "2020 Imported Food Risk Analysis" report. Based on the Japanese official radiation testing data and the analysis of the amount of imported food, it is believed that cancer and genetic risks are classified as "negligible" in all age groups. risk".
The DPP members even proposed to use "blessing food" to refer to the food in the disaster area of Fukushima nuclear accident.
To the embarrassment of the DPP authorities, the day Taiwan announced the lifting of the ban on Fukushima food was slapped in the face.
Reuters reported that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said on the 8th that a batch of black scorpionfish caught in the waters of Fukushima Prefecture at the end of January detected excessive nuclear radiation and has ordered such products to be suspended from the market.
The Reuters report specifically mentioned that the Taiwan authorities have just announced that they will lift the import ban on food at risk of nuclear contamination in five counties and cities including Fukushima, Japan.
The picture shows Taiwanese people oppose nuclear food imports.
Image source: Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao
Forcibly "break through", causing strong dissatisfaction
The tyrannical behavior of the DPP authorities has aroused social dissatisfaction in Taiwan.
According to Taiwan's Zhongshi News Network, the raid has alarmed many netizens, with some commenting asking, "Don't want nuclear food?" "Love Taiwan" to cheat votes, but what he did was to "sell Taiwan" to harm our children and grandchildren."
The Chinese Kuomintang held a press conference on the 8th, saying that what the people want is to be able to eat with peace of mind, and the authorities want to ensure the safety of the people. There is no room for compromise or exchange conditions.
When the DPP dares to rashly raid the opening of nuclear food, goes against public opinion, and doesn't care about the health of the Taiwanese people, it will pay a price.
Zhao Shaokang, a senior media person on the island, criticized the DPP authorities for "the overlord is hard on the bow and trampling on Taiwan's public opinion".
Li Guimin, the representative of public opinion, questioned, "Why do you dwarf yourself as long as you face Japan? Why does the people's health repeatedly become a bargaining chip used by the DPP in exchange?"
A commentary in the China Times questioned, "The DPP keeps saying that it wants to abolish nuclear 4. It wants a non-nuclear homeland, how loud is it? What logic is it that nuclear power is not allowed but nuclear food is allowed? Do we owe Japan something? Or is it because of them? We have to accept the AstraZeneca vaccine that we don't even have to fight for ourselves?"
Lifting the ban on "food in nuclear disaster areas" for CPTPP? think more
The DPP authorities are anxious to lift the ban on food imports from the nuclear disaster areas, on the grounds that they hope to get Japan's help and join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) at an early date.
The DPP has recently been eager to join the CPTPP, saying that opening up the import of foreign products is the key to joining the international trade mechanism, emphasizing that more than 40 countries and regions around the world, including CPTPP members, have opened up Fukushima food imports.
After announcing the lifting of the ban, the leader of the DPP authorities, Tsai Ing-wen, immediately shouted to the Taiwanese people on social media, saying, "Through last year's referendum, Taiwan has shown the world that we are willing to accept international standards and are determined to face and resolve difficult trade. The problem is to move towards the world trading system." It seems that Taiwan's entry into the CPTPP is close at hand.
However, the fact is very skinny.
Luo Bingcheng, a spokesman for the administrative agency of the Taiwan authorities, also admitted that opening up food in the nuclear disaster area "only helps to participate in economic and trade organizations, but it is not a sufficient condition."
In other words, even if Taiwan voluntarily opens up the import of food from the nuclear disaster area, there is no guarantee that it will be exchanged.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wenzhe also bluntly said, "This is an unrealistic expectation for ordinary people. Can you participate in the CPTPP if you eat food from the Fukushima region? Stop dreaming."
Taiwan's "United Daily News" said that after all, the DPP's announcement of lifting the ban on nuclear food is just a political calculation.
The report said that whether Taiwan can join the CPTPP, in addition to the subjective willingness to open the market, also needs to consider the objective conditions of whether the 11 members support it.
In fact, as to whether the lifting of the ban on "nuclear disaster area food" can be exchanged for Taiwan to join the CPTPP, Japanese people have already publicly stated that the opening of nuclear food has no connection with Taiwan's joining the CPTPP, and it is necessary to "wait for Taiwan's own determination".
In other words, even if the nuclear food is opened, it will not help to join the CPTPP.
The DPP authorities really thought too much about using food from the nuclear disaster areas to be lifted into the CPTPP.
From "Lai pig" and "egg shortage" to "food from nuclear disaster areas", the facts have repeatedly shown that the DPP authorities have no way to make the people "eat with peace of mind".
On the contrary, the health and well-being of Taiwanese people has been repeatedly used by the authorities as a tool of political calculation.
As Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference on February 8 in response to a question from a Japanese reporter, the actions of the DPP authorities on issues concerning the life and health and safety of Taiwan compatriots are believed to be in the eyes of the majority of Taiwan compatriots. sharp.
Author: Xiaotong