US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI2910

UNCLAS TAIPEI 002910 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC AND EB/TPP/ATB, STATE PASS AIT/W, 
USAID AND USTR, USTR FOR HAFEMEISTER, USAID FOR SKORIC, 
USDA FOR FAS/MANIS AND AUTRY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, ETRD, TW 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN SUPPORTS U.S. POSITION ON FOOD AID IN WTO 
 
REF: STATE 119974 
 
 1.  AIT Econ and Agriculture officers presented reftel 
talking points to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 
Department of Economic and Trade Affairs Section Chief, Hsueh 
Hsiu-mei and Council of Agriculture International Cooperation 
Division/WTO Affairs Director Shiou Dong-chong.  Hsueh and 
Shiou agreed that Taiwan would support the U.S. position on 
food aid in the WTO. 
 
2.  Taiwan shared U.S. objections, though perhaps with 
somewhat different priorities.  Shiou expressed concern over 
draft language that would require food aid to go through 
organizations such as the United Nations and the Red Cross, 
in which Taiwan is not a member.  Shiou also agreed with the 
U.S. position that replacing food aid with cash grants would 
result in less food aid for those countries in need.  She 
said bluntly that Taiwan has rice to donate but no money. 
Ms. Hsueh agreed that the WTO should limit its consideration 
of food aid to preventing commercial displacement and offered 
that it was important that food aid donors retain flexibility 
to respond to the needs of individual crises.  Restricting 
food aid to cash assistance would limit donor countries 
ability to respond in a timely fashion when needed. 
 
3.  COA's Shiou asked for U.S. assistance to eliminate draft 
language that would require donors to coordinate aid through 
international organizations such as the UN or Red Cross.  COA 
also asked for U.S. support to get additional information on 
usual marketing requirements (UMR) and the Food Aid 
Convention from the FAO.  Shiou remarked that if Taiwan needs 
to live by these rules, it should be given full access to 
needed information. 
 
4.  Hsueh showed AIT a copy of the Mongolian submission, 
circulated June 30, and said that it appeared to support the 
U.S. position.  She said MOFA felt that it could support what 
it had seen in the Mongolian paper and asked if the U.S. 
would submit its own paper in the July 6 meeting.  Although 
the COA staff in Geneva will take the lead on this issue, 
Hsueh volunteered that she would fax a copy of the reftel 
provided U.S. talking points/non-paper to the Chinese Taipei 
Permanent Mission in Geneva.  Shiou told AIT that COA would 
send instructions to the delegation in Geneva to support the 
U.S. position.  Shiou said she may also attend the food 
aid-related meetings to personally support the U.S. position. 
KEEGAN