Obama’s ‘Beef’ With U.S. Trade Policies
Speaking to a crowd of farmers in a barn, Barack Obama cited the Japanese not selling American beef as an example of how current trade policies have hurt rural communities.
“You can’t get American beef into Japan (and South Korea)…even though we have the highest safety standards. They don’t want the competition,” he said in response to a question about trade and manufacturing jobs moving to China.
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Obama also cited the small number of American cars sold in Korea versus the booming sales of Korean models in America.
Here is another report.
Obama Demands Japan, South Korea Open Beef Markets, Kyodo Says
By Finbarr Flynn
May 17 (Bloomberg) — Barack Obama, Democratic U.S. presidential candidate, told voters in South Dakota yesterday that Japan and South Korea must fully open their markets to U.S. beef, Kyodo News said.
Obama told a town hall meeting in the state the two countries are blocking beef imports from the U.S. because they don’t want tougher competition from U.S. producers, Kyodo News reported from Washington, citing the candidate. The U.S. needs to take a tougher stance in trade negotiations to ensure that other countries open their markets, Obama was quoted as saying.
Japan and South Korea limit imports of U.S. beef since the discovery of mad cow disease in the U.S. South Korea decided to relax rules on the import of U.S. beef last month.
In July 2006, Japan resumed importing U.S. beef, limiting shipments to meat from cattle aged 20 months or younger. The U.S. is urging Japan to remove all barriers to U.S. beef imports. Japan is considering increasing the age limit to 30 months, Kyodo reported.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=ak2wQp7fTbUM
First of all, currently Japan is not banning the US beef. You can buy and eat the US beef anywhere in Japan. Just visit a Yoshinoya around the corner. And the South Korea has just decided to fully open the beef market although it caused a panic in South Korea.
I don’t mind eating US beef. In fact, I’ve been eating a lot of US beef in the past and present. But I don’t think the US has the highest safety standards. If you google it, Japan has the highest safety standards and EU comes next.
The car imports of Korea is a different thing. South Korea needs to open up its car market for sure. But, the US needs to produce better, cheaper cars before demanding other country to buy US cars.
He keeps disappointing me. See Obama on Japanese history issue. I just don’t like ignorance and lies.
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