Beef Issue Affecting U.S.-Taiwan and U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations

U.S. Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell should have been one of the most Taiwan-friendly and Taiwan-knowledgeable U.S. officials. In 1999, when former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui expressed the idea that Taiwan and China share a special state-to-state relationship, Campbell was the deputy assistant secretary of defense. At the National Security Council, which President Clinton held to discuss Taiwan policy, Senior Director for Asia Ken Lieberthal proposed the suspension of arm sales to Taiwan as a punishment. The secretary of defense at the time, William Cohen, was on a trip to Europe, and Campbell became the only one who spoke up for Taiwan, saying that it’s inappropriate to suspend arms sales. Although the proposal was later stopped by some outspoken leaders in Congress, Campbell was forced to leave his post by other White House officials such as Lieberthal. Campbell undoubtedly had such strong words for Taipei this time in order to remind the Ma Ying-jeou administration that a lagged resolution on U.S. beef imports would destroy all efforts that have been put into the restoration of Taiwan-U.S. relations and mutual trust since 2008.

In late January, David Shear, deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, also urged Taiwan to resolve the beef import issue while Wang Jin-pyng, the President of Legislative Yuan, visited Washington. After the arms deal was passed in January of last year, Shear pointed out that the reason the United States sells fighter jets to Taiwan is to increase Taiwan’s self-confidence when negotiating with China.

Shear took himself as an example. He said that even though his recent nomination to be the new ambassador to Vietnam had already been sent to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, some senators told him that he wouldn’t go anywhere until the issue of U.S. drug-contaminated beef export to Taiwan is resolved. Shear said that if some Taiwan supporters like him are even encumbered, who would be willing to speak for Taiwan in the future.

Be Cautious on U.S. Beef Import Issues

Taiwan and the United States have been arguing if U.S. beef should be imported to Taiwan and what amount of Ractopamine drugs should be considered acceptable. Legislators in Taiwan are worried that U.S. beef would harm people’s health, and therefore they created laws restricting U.S. beef imports. The U.S. thinks that after the fodder change, they have already met the international standard and that Taiwan hasn’t been discussing this issue in a scientific manner. They would almost just say that Taiwan is playing around with populism. The United States also thinks that Taiwan adopts the standard third world countries adopt in examining Ractopamine rather than that of the most advanced countries. Taiwan, in their point of view, is merely finding faults.

If the Ma administration fails to resolve this issue in a sophisticated way, not only could Trade and Investment Framework Agreement talks be suspended indefinitely, but the Visa Waiver Program, which involves Taiwanese tourists’ travel convenience and Taiwan-U.S. extradition treaties, could be affected.

In a state of low mutual trust and an unfriendly atmosphere, the Department of State wouldn’t approve Taiwan’s request to purchase F-16C/D fighter jets.

Taiwan-U.S. relations have been largely restored and mutual trust has been regained since President Ma was sworn in. The haze surrounding Taipei-Washington D.C. communication, a result of ex-President Chen’s more aggressive pro-independence issues, has also been swept away. But if Taiwan-U.S. relations crash again because of U.S. beef, not only will the normalization of U.S.-Taiwan bilateral relations be affected, but U.S.-Taiwan-China relations would also be further unbalanced.

The author is a professor at the Graduate School of the Americas at Tamkang University