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Premier sues over gangster claims
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By Shelley Huang
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009, Page 3
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Premier Wu Den-yih¡¦s (§d´°¸q) lawyer yesterday filed a lawsuit against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Nantou County commissioner candidate Lee Wen-chung (§õ¤å©¾) for saying Wu was connected to criminals.

Wu¡¦s lawyer, Lai Su-ru (¿à¯À¦p), went to the Taipei District Court to file criminal and civil charges against Lee, accusing him of slander and demanding compensation of NT$3 million (US$100,000) and a public apology in major newspapers.

Lai said if his team wins the lawsuit, they will donate the NT$3 million to charity.

Last week, Lee alleged that Wu, Chiang Chin-liang (¦¿´Ü¨}) ¡X a convicted felon on parole ¡X and Nantou County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching (§õ´Â­ë) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) traveled together to Bali, Indonesia, last December to settle distribution of profits from the local gravel trade and select a new Nantou County Council speaker and vice speaker.

Rebutting Lee Wen-chung¡¦s allegation, Wu told a press conference last Friday that the DPP candidate should prove his allegations or issue a public apology, giving Lee Wen-chung a three-day deadline ending on Monday. Because Lee Wen-chung still had not apologized, Wu¡¦s lawyer filed the lawsuit yesterday.

Wu has been on the defensive since Next Magazine published a story last Wednesday suggesting that he had ties to Chiang. Chiang, now chairman of the ­Tsaoyetun Night Market Association in Caotun Township (¯ó¤Ù), was convicted of murder in two separate cases: the slaying of a Changhua gangster and a Nantou County council member in 1983 and 1985 respectively.

When asked for comment on the matter yesterday during an interview with the Chinese-language United Evening News, Wu said: ¡§I have no choice but to file a lawsuit as I can¡¦t indulge irresponsible behavior by politicians. [Suing Lee Wen-chung] is not only defending my personal reputation, but also fighting for the goodness of Taiwanese people.¡¨

¡§It¡¦s not a good thing that [Lee Wen-chung] defamed [my] character and smeared [Chiang], with whom he also consulted often in the past, or even that he thinks that [Chiang] should be trampled to death to gain his own political benefits and make his strategy work,¡¨ Wu added.

Meanwhile, Lee Wen-chung issued a statement yesterday demanding that Wu offer an apology to Nantou residents for ¡§publicly endorsing gangsters.¡¨

¡§Politicians should not have ties with gangsters,¡¨ he said. ¡§No one dares to stand up to gangsters. Let me be the one then.¡¨

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DPP denies telling US it is using beef as political tool
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By Jenny W. Hsu and Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTERS
Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009, Page 3

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday rebutted allegations that DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (½²­^¤å) met with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director William Stanton in a ¡§secret meeting¡¨ in an attempt to justify the party¡¦s apparent opposition to US beef purely as an election gambit.

The DPP made the rebuttal in response to remarks by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lu Hsueh-chang (§f¾Ç¼Ì), who alleged at a press conference yesterday that Tsai told Stanton last Wednesday that the DPP did not oppose relaxation of US beef imports, but had simply manipulated the issue to boost public support for the DPP in the upcoming city and county chief elections.

He said Tsai treated the public¡¦s health as a stepping stone for the elections. Lu did not present evidence to back his claims, but urged Tsai to respond to the allegation.

In response, DPP spokeswoman Hsiao Bi-khim (¿½¬üµ^) said: ¡§The DPP has a long-standing policy to oppose the import of US bone-in beef, cow organs and risky materials. This was our position when we were the ruling party and we continue to abide by it.¡¨

Hsiao said Tsai had frequent exchanges with the AIT on a wide array of issues. The main ­objective of last week¡¦s meeting was to express the DPP¡¦s view that the government¡¦s sudden decision to lift bans on previously sanctioned products had shattered consumer confidence, Hsiao said, adding that Tsai also reiterated the DPP¡¦s demand that bilateral beef talks be restarted afresh, saying the request was a reflection of public opinion.

Hsiao lambasted the KMT for bad-mouthing the DPP to the US and smearing the party as being anti-American.

¡§We must stress that our opposition against a comprehensive opening of US beef does not equal anti-US sentiment. [The beef issue] is closely linked to food safety and as Taiwan¡¦s largest opposition party, the DPP is obligated to safeguard the country¡¦s public health,¡¨ she said.

DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming (¬_«Ø»Ê) accused the KMT of engaging in a smear campaign and said that it was using the beef issue as a smoke screen to evade its promise to pass the proposed amendment on the Act Governing Food Sanitation (­¹«~½Ã¥ÍºÞ²zªk).

The Legislature¡¦s Procedure Committee yesterday scheduled a number of proposed amendments to the Act Governing Food Sanitation to be put on Friday¡¦s plenary agenda. Among the proposals was a version proposed by the KMT caucus yesterday to amend Article 14 of the Act, authorizing the ­government to ¡§draw up measures to inspect beef products from areas where the risk of mad cow disease has been under control.¡¨

In contrast, the DPP¡¦s proposed amendment and another proposal by KMT Legislator Daniel Hwang (¶À¸q¥æ) both sought to ban bovine skulls, brains, eyes and ground beef from nations or areas where cases of the disease have been documented.

Lu told reporters that the ­caucus believed its proposal would be more appropriate than other proposed amendments.

However, DPP caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (¤ý©¯¨k) accused the KMT caucus of playing on words and blurring the focus of the beef controversy. Wang said different caucuses had agreed to prohibit ¡§risky¡¨ products during their prior negotiation sessions, adding that the DPP would do whatever it could to boycott the KMT caucus¡¦ proposal.

Legislators agreed last Tuesday to push through relevant amendments by next Tuesday to ban ¡§risky¡¨ beef products after the DPP paralyzed a number of plenary sessions in a bid to protest against the Department of Health¡¦s relaxation of US beef import regulations.

Under the terms of the protocol signed by the US and Taiwan, US bone-in beef, ground beef, bovine intestines, brains, spinal cords and processed beef from cattle younger than 30 months that have not been contaminated with ¡§specific risk materials¡¨ will be allowed into Taiwan beginning next Tuesday.

In response to criticism, the government last Monday said it would use administrative means to block the import of ground beef and bovine intestines.

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US beef ban could cost Taiwan its credibility
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By Jan Shou-jung ¸â¦u©¾
Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009, Page 8

Legislators across party lines have agreed to amend the Act Governing Food Sanitation (­¹«~½Ã¥ÍºÞ²zªk) and ban imports of cow organs and ground beef from the US by Nov. 17. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators seem to be competing to prove their opposition to US beef. It is unlikely that government officials expected this when they mulled relaxing the restrictions.

National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi (Ĭ°_) said the previous administration allowed US boneless beef imports without any negotiation.

¡§Someone at some agency just made a phone call and it was settled,¡¨ Su said.

By contrast, the current government engaged in talks with the US, asserting its authority and proving to the international community that Taiwan was capable of negotiating, he said.

Su seems to think the new government¡¦s negotiations and decision-making process are far superior to its DPP predecessor. But with criticism mounting, the Cabinet has wavered and landed itself in a difficult spot.

It is generally accepted that tight regulations on US beef imports would have to change after Taiwan joined the WTO. The controversy is no longer a matter of food safety or communicating with the public ¡X it is now about nationalist sentiment in the face of WTO negotiations. Japan and South Korea are cases in point.

Banning US beef imports for fear of mad cow disease may have been in the interest of local farmers and did not have to hurt the US-Taiwan relationship. However, as long as these restrictions existed, there was always going to be pressure from Washington. This is the reality of international politics. It is a vexing problem that those in power nevertheless must solve.

The DPP government was well aware of the root cause of the controversy. It gave in to the US government, eliminating any pretense of negotiations and other administrative measures.

The DPP administration ignored public opinion and the conclusion reached by a legislative investigative committee against US beef imports. It felt that with time, the issue would fade from the public memory.

On March 24, 2005, the Department of Health announced that the government would allow imports of US beef with certain conditions. Regardless of the opposition, which came from all quarters, the policy was implemented the following month. The criticism died down. Had it not been for new cases of mad cow disease in the US, the legislature would not have repeatedly protested against the imports.

By contrast, the KMT government, with its supposedly superior decision-making process, is using bureaucratic means to effectively block imports of US ground beef and cow tongues and organs to pacify public opposition.

Since the government cannot offer a 100 percent guarantee that US beef is safe, why did it rush into signing a protocol with the US?

Not only has the public lost confidence in the government, but the US now questions why Taiwan is acting outside the protocol.

The government has said repeatedly that it is impossible to relaunch negotiations with the US. If this is true, it should shoulder responsibility for its decision and stop KMT legislators from amending the law to ban imports of the controversial products.

If the amendment to the food sanitation act is passed, it will no longer be a question of whether domestic law overrides international protocols, but rather a case of reneging on a protocol signed under the WTO framework.

Jan Shou-jung is a former legislative assistant.

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TAITRA expects US$3bn in Jiangsu orders
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LUCRATIVE: While TAITRA said orders from trade visits could total US$16 billion this year, Taiwanese firms last year invested US$12.5 billion in Jiangsu Province alone
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By Jason Tan
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Nov 11, 2009, Page 12
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A procurement delegation from China¡¦s Jiangsu Province is expected to place orders worth as much as US$3 billion from local companies, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) head said yesterday.

More than 60 companies from China and 300-plus local companies met in Taipei yesterday to discuss business cooperation, which would serve as a boon to local enterprises, TAITRA chairman Wang Chih-kang (¤ý§Ó­è) told reporters.

The Jiangsu delegation arrived in Taipei on Monday for a six-day visit that will also include visits to industry clusters in the south.

A number of procurement groups from China have visited Taiwan this year, including delegations from Beijing as well as Sichuan and Guangdong provinces, and their total orders could add up to more than US$16 billion for the year, he said.

Wang said trade between China and Taiwan jumped to US$34 billion last year, from US$3.8 billion in 2001.

Opposition politicians have increasingly criticized the growing number of visits by Chinese delegations as a political tactic to overwhelm Taiwan with Chinese money while weakening the nation¡¦s opposition to China¡¦s unification strategy.

The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times¡¦ sister newspaper) said yesterday that the Jiangsu delegation¡¦s estimated procurement would be much less than Taiwanese businesses¡¦ total investment in the Chinese province.

Citing data released by Jiangsu Province, the paper said that Taiwanese firms invested US$12.5 billion in the province last year, with accumulated investment ­totaling US$94.7 billion.

There were more capital outflows from Taiwan to China than Taiwan could gain from these procurement missions, the paper quoted Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (³¯«F¦m) as saying.

Around 60 percent of Taiwan¡¦s top 100 companies have a presence in Jiangsu Province, with investment there accounting for one-third of Taiwanese investment in China, the paper said.

Big names investing there include Acer Inc (§»ùÖ), Compal Electronics Inc (¤¯Ä_¹q¸£), Cheng Shin Rubber Industries Co (¥¿·s¾ó½¦¤u·~), BenQ Group (©ú°ò¶°¹Î) and Hon Hai Group (ÂE®ü¶°¹Î).

Yesterday¡¦s procurement meeting in Taipei was also aimed at enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to explore business opportunities in China, Wang said.

Among the mid-sized companies that attended the event was Mike Biological Technologies (³Á¥i¥Íª«¬ì§Þ), a homegrown company specializing in healthcare products.

¡§We are taking the chance to increase our exposure and we will talk to pharmaceutical companies, drug store and supermarket operators to sell our new healthcare products in China,¡¨ manager Chang Yi-heng (±iÖöùÚ) said.

The Chinese delegation included foodstuffs company High Hope International Group (¶×ÂE°ê»Ú) chairman Song Kaotong (§º¦Òµ£).

¡§We just met officials from Formosa Plastics Corp (¥x¶ì) for a possible order placement. This is our first meeting with them and we will assess the partnership further at a later stage,¡¨ Song said.

If the deal is sealed, the company could procure more than US$20 million in materials per year from Formosa Plastics.
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