Taiwan lifts ban on ‘nuclear food’ for political gain
4 Min Read
Taiwan’s DPP actively prepared the way for the importation of the controversial pork to please the US.
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People protest against the lifting of restrictions on US pork containing ractopamine in Taipei (AFP)
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority's surprising lifting of a ban on importing food from five prefectures in Japan near the site of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear catastrophe has generated outrage on Taiwan's island.
Following the reauthorization of ractopamine-enhanced pork imports from the United States, the "nuclear food," as it is known by Taiwanese, will be allowed to return to the island's dinner tables after being banned for more than a decade. This is seen by local media and observers as another betrayal of public opinion by the DPP authority.
The DPP has engaged in unlimited cunning political calculations against the interests of the Taiwanese, such as toxic food importation and gifting masks to the US amid local emergency shortages, in order to enhance international visibility or initiate skewed "international cooperation."
Here's what you need to know
Taiwan's authorities banned food imports from Fukushima for more than a decade after the Fukushima nuclear power plant catastrophe in 2011. In 2018, the island had an anti-nuclear food referendum, with 7.79 million votes in favor of the existing ban.
The unexpected statement by the DPP administration to lift the ban, on the other hand, does not reflect a shift in public opinion in Taiwan. According to the Japan Times, Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's president, prioritized food concerns related to Japan in order to gain the country's support for Taiwan's inclusion into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
In the wake of widespread protest, Tsai said that since 2016, the government has completed six evaluation and investigative reports and implemented stronger import food monitoring mechanisms.
Local media reported, ironically, that much of the leaked radioactive material is still radioactive, citing professional examinations.
The ugly truth
Taiwan began importing ractopamine-enhanced pork from the United States in January 2021, according to reports, after the island's DPP-dominated legislative body passed legislation removing prohibitions on such pigs.
At least 160 countries and areas, including the European Union, have prohibited ractopamine from food manufacturing. Despite a local poll showing 70% dissatisfaction among Taiwan locals, the DPP actively prepared the way for the importation of the controversial pork to please the US.
Big lies
According to the Taipei-based United Daily News in June 2021, the DPP authority announced the purchase of 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from local producers Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (MVC) and United BioPharma (UB) for NT$750-881 ($26.9-31.6) per dose, much more expensive than the vaccine produced by world's current major brands such as Oxford-AstraZeneca ($4) and Moderna ($15). DPP had previously refused back vaccines donated by the Chinese mainland, as well as private sales or contributions, despite serious vaccine shortages.
UB-612 vaccine is created by private US business COVAXX, according to an exclusive report by Reuters in June 2021. Erik Prince, the former CEO of Blackwater, reportedly invested in COVAXX in 2020.
Blackwater, known for its heinous war crimes in Iraq, provides intelligence, training, and mercenary contractors to the US army and government.
Following the revelation of the true entity behind the creation of the UB-612 vaccine, Taiwanese social media platforms were filled with condemnations of the DPP's deception to the public in the name of American big business and a possible US-led political alliance.
