Nathan Batto

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MundoAsia,

When outsiders think about Taiwan’s elections, they often look for answers to the grand questions of the island’s future: does this election indicate that Taiwan will move towards unification with China, or towards becoming a formally independent country? Meanwhile, people on the ground often note that surprisingly little of the political discussion is actually about China. Candidates usually spend most of their time talking about other issues, such as nuclear power, high consumer prices, health-care spending and public housing. As a result, analysts often argue that Taiwanese voters have moved past questions about China and now care more about issues that affect their day-to-day quality of life.…  Seguir leyendo »

Lawmakers fight during a parliamentary session in Taipei, Taiwan, on Nov. 27, by throwing punches and pig guts at each other over a policy that would allow imports of U.S. pork and beef. (FTV/AP)

MundoAsia,

“Pig guts fly in offal fight over meat imports in Taiwan’s parliament” — The Guardian

“Pig intestines fly as Taiwan lawmakers engage in ham-fisted political attacks” — The Washington Post

It was a headline writer’s dream: On Nov. 27, legislators from Taiwan’s opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), protested a speech by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) premier by hurling pork innards inside the legislative chamber. The apparent cause of the fracas was the DPP government’s decision to lift restrictions on meat imports from the United States, where many farmers use the controversial chemical ractopamine to grow leaner pork.

The issues at stake are important, but they’re not why the incident became global news.…  Seguir leyendo »