Premier Su Tseng-chang (???) said the failure of four nationwide referendums at the polls Saturday was a testament to the public’s support for the government’s policies.
After the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) campaigned for a “no” vote in all of the referendums, Su said at a Cabinet press conference following the results that more than 8 million people had expressed their stances on the four issues by casting their ballots.
The result of the votes showed support for the government’s policies, Su said, adding that the government would work harder to promote Taiwan’s ties with other countries and push for energy transition.
According to Central Election Commission (CEC) data, however, Taiwanese voters only narrowly rejected the four referendum questions put to them in a national vote, with turnout sitting at around 41 percent.
The results Saturday mean that the government’s decision to allow imports of pork products containing the controversial livestock drug ractopamine from 2021 will remain unchanged.
In addition, the government’s plan to build Taiwan’s third liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal along the coast of Taoyuan near an algae reef environmentalists have said is under threat will continue.
Commenting on the question of pork imports containing ractopamine, the nation’s top trade negotiator John Deng (???) said the referendum result had “sent a clear message” to other countries that Taiwan was committed to abiding by international trade rules.
It would also bring about a new chapter for Taiwan’s relationship with the United States, Deng said, adding that the country’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would also benefit as a result of the vote.
The DPP government has said the passage of the referendum regarding pork imports would have a great impact on Taiwan’s relations with the U.S.
The government also argued that lifting the pork import ban was in line with an international trend adopted by some 109 countries around the world, including the 11 CPTPP member states, and that whether Taiwan followed suit would be instrumental in its CPTPP ascension efforts.
At a separate press conference, President Tsai Ing-wen (???) said the government values the opinions of those who voted in favor of the four referendums and would continue communicating with the public over its policies.
She added that food safety and algae reef conservation would not be compromised.
The other two referendum questions were related to unsealing the long-mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and allowing future referendums to take place concurrently with other major elections.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel