Lawmakers are getting ready to vote on and pass an amendment to the Food Sanitation Act next Tuesday to ban ground beef and bovine offal imports from the United States. But that isn't going to end the beef war across the Pacific, and everybody loses in the fight over the issue which shouldn't be an issue in the first place. The war broke out the moment Taipei and Washington concluded a Protocol of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)-Related Measures for the Importation of Beef and Beef Products for Human Consumption from the Territory of the Authorities Represented by the American Institute in Taiwan. According to the protocol signed on Oct. 22, Taiwan has to import all such products from the U.S. that may cause mad cow disease by a one-in-billions chance.
The Americans believe all beef and offal are safe for consumption and there shouldn't be any opposition on Taiwan's part. Politicians in Taiwan think otherwise. They were up in arms against “risky' beef and bovine offal. Consumer advocates, prodded by politicians, organized a boycott campaign, initiating a referendum that, if adopted, would force the government to scrap the Oct. 22 agreement and start a new round of negotiation. Lawmakers, on the other hand, began to amend the Food Safety Act to see to it that no ground beef and bovine offal are imported from the U.S. The amendment runs counter to the beef import pact.
The government is the biggest loser in the ongoing war. President Ma Ying-jeou is sending a delegation to Washington to mend fences after the U.S. government expressed deep concern over the expected passage of the amendment to the act. “If passed,” a joint statement by the office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Agriculture said, “this amendment would represent a new barrier to U.S. beef exports to Taiwan, and would constitute a unilateral abrogation of a bilateral agreement concluded in good faith by the United States with Taiwan just two months ago.” Taipei should consider “very carefully” the impact that would have on Taiwan's reputation as a reliable trading partner and responsible member of the international community, Washington warned.
The warning is being heeded, of course. But the damage has been done. There is no way to prevent the railroading of the amendment albeit Ma's Kuomintang (KMT) controls a virtual three-fourths majority in the Legislative Yuan. The Americans are losing the beef war because they started it at the wrong time. Negotiations for the protocol had gone on for two years and there was no reason whatsoever for Washington not to wait another month or so to conclude it with Taipei after Taiwan's all-important local elections were over.
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), champing at the bit to win the elections on Dec. 5 in order to prove it is beginning to claw back to power, jumped at the godsend opportunity to turn a non-issue into an issue of “life or death” of the people, about whose well-being they claim the KMT government simply cares less. It's a non-issue because by far the great majority of people in Taiwan do not eat beef and they do not care whether bovine products are imported or not from anywhere in the world. Younger people take to hamburgers, but they can choose those made from ground beef imported from countries other than the U.S. The protocol does not compel the government to force the beef-lovers to consume American steaks. The fence-mending isn't likely to work. The administration is bracing for retaliation after it failed to avert the crisis by convincing the doubtful people that U.S. ground beef and offal are safe to eat. As a starter, Washington wouldn't agree to resume negotiations for a trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA) with Taipei, which would pave the way for a much more needed free trade arrangement. It may stall arms sales to Taiwan. No support may come from the U.S. for Taiwan's bid to participate in international organizations. But the most serious damage is done to Taiwan's credibility as a reliable trading country and responsible member of the world community.
Ma's loss is just as serious. He failed as chairman of the KMT to whip lawmakers of his party into line. Misguided KMT legislators danced to the tune of their opposition counterparts to demand a renegotiation of the beef protocol. None of them have won yet, for they can't cash in on their legislative victory until after 2012 when they have to run for re-election. Pose as they did to stand up against Uncle Sam to defend the food safety of the people, quite a number of them won't be returned anyway.
The people of Taiwan also lose. They appear as unreasonable supporters of narrow-minded political agitators who are accusing the U.S. of attempting to bully Taiwan into buying unwanted beef products. Their image as friends of the U.S. is tarnished. Once tarnished, it's very hard to burnish. If trade between Taiwan and the U.S. dwindles as a result of the beef war, all the people of Taiwan will equally suffer the consequence.
And the chief culprit is the legislative branch of the government. Lawmakers have sacrificed Taiwan's credibility as a trustworthy trading partner the world over by flexing their muscles to get even with what they believe is the clumsy but arrogant administration. What price their demonstration of power!
（本文刊載於99.01.01 The China Post 8版，本文代表作者個人意見）