Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou Wednesday defended his government's decision to expand US beef imports and assured the public of safety in consuming the meat.

"The government will never use the health of our nationals to exchange for (interests of) any countries," Ma, said in his first official comment after the beef-import announcement Friday triggered an uproar against his administration.

He insisted all US beef products would be imported in line with strict health safety regulations and would meet both international and domestic standards.

The Health Ministry announced Friday that Taiwan would expand its US beef imports to include bone-in beef and organs that have a higher risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad-cow disease.

The decision sparked strong protest from the public and lawmakers of both the ruling and opposition parties, saying the move would jeopardize Taiwanese health.

Political opponents demanded that Ma or at least National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi step down to shoulder responsibility for ending a six-year ban on US bone-in beef.

Ma's approval rating plunged 14 percentage points to 33 per cent because of the decision, according to an opinion poll released by the China Times daily in Taipei Wednesday.

The poll also showed most respondents objected to US pressure for Taiwan to relax its import ban and said they would boycott US beef.

Ma said while he respects the decision of the public to boycott the US beef, it would be unlikely for the government to rescind its agreements because that would hurt Taiwan's reputation abroad. (dpa)