ISDS Case Map
US
Taiwan's legislative Yuan Tuesday banned the sale of US beef to that island country, a move that infuriated US beef exporters and could lead to trade disputes with the United States.
In a reversal of a negotiated deal with Washington, Taiwanese lawmakers on Tuesday banned imports of some kinds of beefs from the United States, citing health concerns.
Health concerns and angry protests have prompted partial bans on US beef imports in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea – most recently by Taipei on Tuesday. The recurring dispute has strained relations.
Because of the proposed ban, Taiwan's minister of economic affairs, Shih Yen-shiang, told parliament Wednesday that resumption of talks on a free-trade pact with the U.S. would be indefinitely delayed
The head of Taiwan's National Security Council urged lawmakers and the public not to demand a reopening of talks with the United States on controversial beef imports, though he said he would "respect the final decision by the legislature" and "the people's right to initiate a referendum on the issue."
Continuing political turmoil in the military-ruled Burma have caused major hurdles in the proposed free-trade deals being negotiated by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with the European Union, Canada and the United States.
The United States is still awaiting Malaysia's decision on whether to join the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations.
US officials are preparing for talks with South Korea to address autos and other concerns that have blocked approval of a bilateral free trade agreement, the top US trade official said on Tuesday.
The US wants Japan, Malaysia and South Korea to join negotiations for a regional free-trade agreement in Asia, Trade Representative Ron Kirk said.
“TPP is about re-establishing the role of the US in the Asian region,” Calman Cohen, president of the Washington-based Emergency Committee for American Trade, told reporters Dec. 11. “If they get it right, it can be a real shot in the arm.”
