“This is first and foremost an issue that comes down to party lines. It gives the opposition the opportunity to tap into the fears caused by little-known agents - in this case, ractopamine - to defeat a policy of high importance to the Tsai administration. The KMT can use protectionism, fear, disinformation, and yes, latent anti-American sentiment in some circles in Taiwan, to create a perfect storm that will frustrate government policy. This, in turn, can harm US-Taiwan ties, and potentially undermine Taiwan's efforts to join CPTPP, another goal of the administration. This constitute is the weaponisation of an issue for short-term political gain, made possible by referenda.”
17 Dec 2021
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