On Monday, China announced the lifting of its ban on imports of Taiwanese pomeloes, bringing an end to the two-year restriction.
However, according to a detailed list published by the Chinese government, import permits would be limited to Taiwanese pomeloes produced by orchards in Hualien County. Other areas, including Tainan, Taiwan’s largest pomelo-growing region, were not included on the new list.
Not only did these omissions cause many to question the rationale for this decision, it exposed China’s political manipulation of cross-strait economic and trade relations.
Beginning in August 2022, China temporarily paused imports of Taiwanese citrus fruits, including pomeloes, citing pesticide residue and quarantine issues.
However, this week’s measure to resume imports has clear implications for China’s goal of achieving unification with Taiwan.
According to a statement by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華): “As long as the so-called 1992 consensus is upheld and Taiwanese independence is opposed, then China and Taiwan are like one family.”
This kind of rhetoric is clearly an attempt to use economic and trade benefits as baits to hook Taiwan’s cities and counties, and gain political influence by creating divisions within the nation.
The two main production sites of Taiwanese pomeloes are Madou District (麻豆) in Tainan and Rueisui Township (瑞穗) in Hualien County, which account for 29 percent and 19 percent of Taiwan’s pomelo production respectively. In this case, China only approved Hualien’s orchards and did not include those in Tainan.
This choice has led some to suspect that China purposefully excluded Tainan, where the ruling Democratic Progressive Party has long held office, with the goal of exerting political pressure.
Beijing said that only packaging companies and orchards that have been examined and approved by Chinese officials would be allowed to export to China.
In response, Taiwan’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine called on China to provide more transparent quarantine terms and conditions to avoid the measure being used as an excuse for political manipulation.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that the way in which China resumed Taiwanese pomelo imports is similar to its earlier actions on Taiwanese pineapple, sugar apple and grouper imports.
In all of these cases, China used economic and trade measures as a tool to promote “reunification” by only allowing imports of products from specific areas.
The MAC said that China should not use economic and trade measures as an economic coercion tool against Taiwan’s agricultural and fishing industries. It also appealed to Taiwanese farmers to respond to China’s market instability with caution to protect themselves from future harm.
On the surface, China’s decision to lift its ban on Taiwanese pomelo imports appears to be an act of goodwill by the Chinese government, but its selective nature and limited conditions reveal its true intentions.
To resist China’s economic pressure, Taiwan should remain alert and implement strategies to strengthen the pluralization of domestic markets and decrease reliance on a single market. This would help to ensure the long-term, stable development of our agriculture and fishing industries.
Gong Lin-dong is a research fellow who focuses on the Chinese Communist Party.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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