The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) indicated today that China has recently been actively promoting cross-strait agricultural exchanges. By offering Taiwan extremely limited short-term benefits, China’s real intentions are aimed at gaining long-term economic and even political advantages over Taiwan. Our government should react to China’s actions with caution.
In response to China’s Taiwan Affairs Office’s statement during its press briefing on cross-strait agricultural exchanges today, the MAC stated that the relevant Chinese officials have heavily propagandized China’s preferential treatment for Taiwanese fruit exports to China. They have also repeatedly proclaimed that this would benefit the large number of Taiwanese farmers. However, in 2004, earnings from Taiwanese fruit exports to China only accounted for a very small amount of US$890,000. The amount of money was only US$7.54 million if Taiwanese fruit exports to Hong Kong were included. This only accounted for 1.07 percent of Taiwan’s total agricultural exports. The amount accounted for even smaller portions of earnings from the Taiwanese domestic agricultural products at only 0.16 percent. In their attempts to import more fruits from Taiwan through various preferential treatments, the Chinese authorities could only create very limited short-term benefits for the Taiwanese farmers. Instead, they have placed Taiwanese farmers under increased pressure to face long-term production and marketing risks due to various uncertain factors. Moreover, Chinese officials hoped that the Taiwanese government will lift import restrictions on more than 800 mainland Chinese agricultural products. This has fully reflected the Chinese authorities’ long-term strategy for dealing with cross-strait agricultural exchanges.
The MAC indicated that during China’s Taiwan Affairs Office’s press briefing today, the relevant Chinese officials have repeatedly emphasized China’s position that the negotiations should be conducted between civic organizations. China has not only appointed certain candidates to serve as its authorized representatives, but it has also publicly designated Taiwan’s counterparts in the negotiations. This was a big step backwards in its policy implementation as compared with the model adopted earlier this year for negotiation of cross-strait Lunar New Year charter flights. The MAC reiterated that both sides of the Straits are currently World Trade Organization (WTO) members. Measures related to Taiwanese fruit exports to China, including tariffs, custom clearances, quarantine and examinations, and certification of origin, must be negotiated under the WTO framework. This is to guarantee the interests of the Taiwanese farmers. Therefore, we urge the Chinese authorities to face the reality that both Taiwan and China are members of the WTO. China should not attempt to define the cross-strait negotiations as the so-called “internal affairs.”
At the same time, the MAC also indicated that China’s “three agricultural issues” (agriculture, rural areas and farmers) are very serious. China is facing serious domestic issues, including the disorder in the production and sale of crops, taxation and land expropriation. The related departments in China have already given several warnings regarding these issues. In order to extend Taiwan’s goodwill and sincerity, and to restore the order in cross-strait agricultural exchanges, the Taiwanese government is willing to discuss the feasibility of sending agricultural missions composed of experts to China through cross-strait negotiations. This is aimed at offering Taiwan’s past experiences in the construction of agricultural villages, to improve China’s agricultural issues and gradually narrow the institutional and technological disparity across the Strait. This will effectively promote the normalization of cross-strait agricultural exchanges.