The head of Taiwan's Office of Trade Negotiations, John Deng (???), will focus on the importance of free trade when he attends the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3.
In an interview with CNA on Friday, Deng said his statement at the forum, which he will attend in person, will highlight Taiwan's insistence on free trade and urge others to refrain from imposing unjustified barriers on imports.
Deng sidestepped the question of whether he will specifically mention China's ban on imports of Taiwan's fruit at the meeting, saying only that he will think more about it and stress Taiwan's firm support for free trade across the globe.
Earlier this month, the Council of Agriculture (COA) filed "specific trade concerns" with the WTO's Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) committee over Beijing's ban on imports of Taiwanese pineapples, custard apples and wax apples due to the alleged presence of mealybug Planococcus minor in several shipments from Taiwan this year.
Taiwan has contended that the initial problems were resolved and that Beijing's move was politically motivated and not justified.
United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai (??) will also attend the conference, and Deng said he hoped to be able to meet with Tai on the sidelines of the conference "if time allows."
"As long as I can find time in the busy schedule and others can as well, the more bilateral talks, the better," he told CNA.
If a meeting with Tai does happen, he said "it would be difficult" for the two sides not to touch on Taiwan's position on importing U.S. pork that contains residues of ractopamine, a controversial drug designed to make meat leaner that is banned in Europe, China and other markets.
The U.S. has insisted on Taiwan accepting meat containing ractopamine as a precondition for talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) to be held, and Taipei began to allow pork imports containing ractopamine at the beginning of this year.
Many in Taiwan objected to the move, feeling that the government put trade with the U.S. above food safety, and a national referendum will be held on the topic on Dec. 18.
According to Deng, representatives of all 164 members of the WTO will also discuss issuing waivers for COVID-19 vaccine patents and cutting fishing subsidies to prevent overfishing, with a consensus more likely to be achieved on the fishing issue.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel