News Reference Material
Date: June 20, 2023
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued the following response to an announcement by mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) today (June 20, 2023) regarding the partial resumption of Taiwan’s sugar apple imports to mainland China:
1. In March 2021, mainland China unilaterally halted all imports of Taiwanese pineapple sugar-apples, grouper fish, and other agricultural and fishery products without any warning, citing technical trade barrier reasons such as diseases, pests, excessive pesticide residue. The Council of Agriculture (COA) has repeatedly conveyed their specific trade concerns to mainland China through liaison mechanisms under cross-Strait agreements and in relevant meetings of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The council has expressed that such actions are inconsistent with international norms and demanded that mainland China engage in discussions between the competent authorities of both sides to resolve these issues and promptly restore imports of Taiwanese agricultural and fishery products.
2. The TAO announced today that mainland China has resumed imports of pineapple sugar-apples from Taiwan. However, the information provided by mainland China indicates that the decision only applies to sugar apples grown on 25 orchards and produced and packaged by 3 packing plants in Taitung County, effectively discriminating against farmers in other cities and counties. The MAC stated that today’s announcement from mainland China demonstrates that this move is yet another united front action aimed at dividing the Taiwanese society.
3. The COA stated that, in September of the year before last, Taiwan had already submitted to mainland China a set of quarantine and inspection management regulations for Taiwanese sugar apple exports for the mainland Chinese market. The submitted regulations comprehensively covered systemic management measures throughout the entire process from production to export, including orchard management, fruit sorting and washing management at the packaging plants, and export quarantine measures. All the information provided by the Taitung County Government to mainland China had been covered under the COA's version of management regulations. Nevertheless, till today, after more than a year since the COA’s submission, mainland China has not made any positive response to Taiwan.
4. The MAC indicated that mainland China's selective resumption of sugar apple imports from Taitung mirrors the politically motivated procurement mainland China employed against Taiwan years ago, both seeking to exploit economic interests to divide Taiwan and advance its united front campaign. These outdated political maneuvers by mainland China will only increase the psychological barriers and further alienate the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.