US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI2814

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 002814 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EAP/RSP/TC, EAP/PA, EAP/PD - 
ROBERT PALLADINO 
DEPARTMENT PASS AIT/WASHINGTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, KPAO, TW, Trade 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: U.S. BEEF 
 
1. Summary: Following the full-page- and multi-page- 
coverage in major Taipei dailies this past weekend 
concerning the official announcement of the second case 
of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the United 
States, AIT Taipei held a press conference Monday 
(6/27) featuring Director Douglas Paal and Deputy Chief 
of AIT Agriculture Section Eric Trachtenberg to 
reassure the Taiwan public of the safety of U.S. beef. 
The Taipei dailies continued to discuss the safety of 
U.S. beef in their inside pages the next day (6/28), 
where they highlighted Paal's reassurances and Taiwan 
President Chen Shui-bian's and Premier Frank Hsieh's 
supporting statements that U.S. beef should not be 
taken off shelves.  At the same time, however, the 
newspapers covered in great detail opposition 
legislators' moves to sue Taiwan's Health Minister Hou 
Sheng-mou for negligence of duty for lifting Taiwan's 
ban on U.S. beef imports in April. 
 
2. In terms of editorials and commentaries, a centrist 
"China Times" commentary questioned the decision-making 
process of the Taiwan government with regard to opening 
the Taiwan market to U.S. beef in April, while a pro- 
unification "United Daily News" commentary criticized 
the inconsistent attitudes shown by different Taiwan 
government agencies in making decisions that directly 
concern the Taiwan people's interests.  A limited- 
circulation, pro-independence, English-language "Taipei 
Times" editorial, however, stressed that science has 
shown U.S. beef is safe to eat.  This editorial 
continued by stating that the Taiwan government has 
bowed to pressure with regard to U.S. beef - not 
pressure from the United States, however, but that of 
unscrupulous and populist Taiwan politicians.  End 
summary. 
 
A) "[AIT Taipei Director] Douglas Paal's Promotion" 
 
Journalist Chang Hui-ying noted in the "My Views" 
column of the centrist, pro-status quo "China Times" 
(6/29): 
 
". On the other hand, when [we] look at the Taiwan 
government's decision to re-open its market to U.S. 
beef [in April], Taiwan society cannot help but ask 
questions such as whether the decision was made in the 
best interests of the Taiwan people . .  The crisis 
within [such a decision] lies in the fact that the 
Taiwan people thought that their government, if really 
interested in safeguarding their health, would demand 
that [imported] U.S. beef be one hundred percent safe, 
in the same way that any parent would do for [his or 
her] children, not minding having to take all the 
trouble [in making such a demand].  But the consequent 
decision-making direction was obviously the opposite. 
As a result, [we cannot help but ask] which peoples' 
interests is [the Taiwan government] protecting after 
all? Or, whose interests is it protecting, anyway? 
 
"Despite various speculation, people outside can hardly 
prove who really gave the order [to lift the ban on 
U.S. beef] and why.  The problem is that eating beef 
[safely] has nothing to do with whether you belong to 
the Pan-Blue or Pan-Green Camp.  For the Taiwan people, 
what directly concerns them is the [safety of the] food 
that they eat every day, and it is an issue that they 
originally assumed and trusted that their government 
would do the best it could to protect them.  It will be 
a serious crisis of confidence if [the Taiwan 
government] loses the peoples' trust on an issue like 
this." 
 
B) "Do [We] Still Have Our Right to Eat?" 
 
The "Black and White" column of the pro-unification 
"United Daily News" [circulation: 600,000] wrote 
(6/27): 
 
"When a Department of Health (DOH) official said U.S. 
beef currently in local markets does not need to be 
taken off the shelves, he was actually calling on the 
local people to calm down and to continue to enjoy the 
U.S. beef.  Given DOH's fearless attitude regardless of 
any criticism against it, it would be very difficult 
for U.S. beef not to become a kind of rare and precious 
good even if the [Taiwan] government had no alternative 
but to ban it again. 
 
"Whereas there are three different [government] 
agencies [in charge], there are actually four different 
versions about [the safety of] U.S. beef -- no wonder 
local people feel confused about whether U.S. beef is 
safe or not.  While Japan, Korea and Singapore are 
still cautiously awaiting further assessments, Taiwan 
has already fearlessly embraced U.S. beef under the pre- 
announcement and the push of our president.  The 
Council of Agriculture (COA) has opposed the opening of 
the market to the United States from the beginning to 
end, but [the government] simply skipped COA and 
directly had DOH open the doors to our market to please 
Uncle Sam. . 
 
"Without doubt, U.S. beef is very delicious and our 
people need not over panic.  Nobody can say no if the 
gourmets want to continue eating U.S. beef.  In fact, 
what really has panicked the Taiwan people is not U.S. 
beef but the government's inconsistent behavior.  Our 
government can easily throw away [our people's] right 
to eat, let alone its sovereignty to defend the 
Diaoyutais [ed:  islands claimed by Japan, China and 
Taiwan]." 
 
C) "Complaints over U.S. Beef Half-Baked" 
 
The pro-independence, English-language "Taipei Times" 
[circulation: 30,000] commented in an editorial (6/28): 
 
". Given these conditions, the [Taiwan] government 
certainly caved in to pressure - but not pressure from 
the US, but from unscrupulous, populist politicians. 
It should not have banned US beef, but explained 
clearly why such a ban was unnecessary.  Those who do 
not believe in the WAHO's [i.e. World Animal Health 
Organization] science or the effectiveness of US 
slaughterhouse regulation could simply choose not to 
eat US beef.  Let the market decide.  Which last 
weekend it did; consumers flocked to the stores to 
purchase US beef, expecting that stores would cut 
prices to get the meat off their shelves before they 
might be compelled to take it off.  At least the public 
has shown some common sense." 
 
PAAL