China has destroyed several shipments of imported Taiwanese food products after companies failed to label them as produced in “Taiwan Area (台灣地區)” or “Taiwan Area, China (中國台灣地區),” as required by Chinese officials, businesses said.
Hwa Mei Food Co (樺美食品) chairman Lu Ming-yen (呂明炎) said he has personal knowledge of three cases in which Taiwanese import products were destroyed because their label did not use the word “area.”
Lu learned of those incidents after he last year became the president of a Changhua-based trade and export association, he said.
“In each case, Taiwanese manufacturers who were unaware of the rule had labeled their product’s place of origin as Chinese Taiwan and the Chinese customs office destroyed all their merchandise,” he said.
Chinese officials started to insist on the word “area” after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government took office, Lu said.
Customs officials at the ports of Pingtan, Xiamen and Dadeng in China’s Fujian Province are responsible for the majority of cases in which Taiwanese food imports were destroyed or delayed, he said.
The loss of a shipment usually costs businesses between NT$3 million and NT$4 million (US$101,550 and US$135,400), Lu said.
“Although there are inherent risks in doing business with China, it is preposterous that businesspeople now stand to lose millions over a word,” he said.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration created excessive risks by developing too many trade ties with China, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said on Sunday.
“It is high time for Taiwan to diversify its markets and develop bilateral or multilateral ties with other countries and regions,” Lee said “The New Southbound Policy and enhancing our economic exchanges with EU countries are important steps toward addressing the issue, and we should stay the course.”
Although China has stepped up economic coercion to influence Taiwanese politics, its obsession with phrasing and gestures would prove counterproductive, Lee said.
“Those little tricks will only push Taiwan away and harm the interests of Taiwanese businesses,” he said. “The government should respond to this development by taking steps to protect our businesses and do so quickly.”
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS