Taiwan has been listed in a report on foreign trade barriers published by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Monday amid a dispute over US beef exports to the island.

"The United States is deeply concerned about Taiwan's trade practices affecting US meat exports, including beef," the report stated.

In response, Jenni Yang, deputy chief negotiator at Taiwan's Office of Trade Negotiations, under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, said Wednesday that "there is no problem of increased pressure over the beef issue, since the USTR did not contact us at all." The document issued was just a "regular" report, she said.

In the six-page report, the USTR pointed out that in recent years, Taiwan has applied Special Safeguard provisions regarding imports of several US agricultural products, including poultry, certain types of offal, and milk. Firms in the US continue to request that Taiwan lower tariffs on many goods, the report said.
The report also indicated that since the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) between Taiwan and China took effect in January 2011, the US had not yet been formally notified as a WTO member.

Meanwhile, in its third annual report on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, the USTR reaffirmed that all US products have met high standards, "but too often governments cloak discriminatory and protectionist trade measures in the guise of ensuring human, animal, or plant safety," it said.

Citing Taiwan as an example, the report said the USTR has worked with the country to lift unwarranted restrictions on US exports of poultry and poultry products. These barriers not only harm American farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, workers and their families, they also deprive consumers around the world of access to high-quality American food and agricultural goods, the report said.