========== Wine's fine, but liquor's quicker: TTWB
/ Kongbekiok: Bichiu boeh khi2ke3 2001/10/30
The China Post staff
/ Alai hoan-ek
The price of the popular red label rice wine is set to soar more than fivefold to NT$110 a bottle after Taiwan becomes a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Ministry of Finance (MOF)has no plans to subsidize consumers.
/ Taioan kajip Sekai Bouek Chochit (SBC) liauau, siaulou7 chin toa e angphiau bichiu e kesiau ai3 khi2 5poe, kau mui2koan3 110kou. Tansi Chaichengpou (CCP) peng bo pouthiap siauhuichia e ke3oe7. Both Taiwan and mainland China are set to win endorsement for their memberships at the WTO ministerial meeting at Doha, Qatar in November and become official members early next year.
/ Taioan kah Tiongkok long anpai ti 11goeh ti Doha, Qatar e poutiunnkip hoegi tiong tittioh tong-i, thang ti meni-chhe pianseng chengsek-e hoeoan. The nation's wine policy will undergo a dramatic change by imposing a NT$90 tax on the current price tag of NT$20 a bottle, according to a report of MOF officials to the members of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Yuan yesterday.
/ Kinki chahng ka7 Liphoat-inn Chaicheng Uioanhoe poko e CCP koann-oan e konghoat, koklai e chiu2-ke3 chengchhek e7u7 chintoa-e choanpian, ti muikoan 20kou kesiau igoa ai3 ke1 90kou soekim. MOF officials said the move will be against the rules of the WTO and violates the national treatment principle.
/ CCP koann-oan kong, (pouthiap) e chohoat si bohah8 SBC e kuiteng, ma uihoan koklai e chokgiap goanchek. Officials at the Board of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said that if the government provides subsidiesto counter selling prices for domestically produced rice wine, the government should offer the same subsidies for all imported products. The MOF said the government simply cannot afford to offer the subsidies considering the deteriorating financial situation with the government.
/ Kengchepou Kokgoa-Bouek-Kiok e koannoan kong, nasi chenghu pouthiap lai ahke kok4san2 bichiu e kesiau, chenghu ma ai3 pouthiap souu chinkau e sanphin. CCP kong, kholitioh bokcheng chaicheng kunlan, chenghu kinpun bo-kholeng pouthiap. While the price of the 0.6-liter rice wine will be raised to NT$110 a bottle next year, the price will rise further to NT$140 a bottle in 2003, MOF officials said.
/ CCP koannoan koh kong, meni 0.6-liter e bichiu kesiau suijian khi2kau3 muikoan 110kou, tansi 2003ni e7 koh khikau muikoan 140kou. Rice wine has long been a popular alcoholic drink for low-income people. It is also widely used in Chinese cooking and is a vital condiment for making traditional "sesame oil chicken" for women who believethe dish can help them quickly regain physical strength after delivering babies.
/ Bichiu ittit longsi sanchhiahlang lim e chiu2, i ti Tiongkok liauli masi iong chin che7, iuki-si chi2 "moa-iu-ke" itteng ai iong, moa-iu-ke etang hou hujinlang cho-goelai pou-sinthe. During winter, rice wine is in high demand for making "hot wine chicken," a local favorite.
/ Koanntinnsi, bichiu chin che7 iong7 ti chi2 "siochiu-ke", che masi puntelang chin kah-i e sipphin.
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