Opinion | China’s ban on Taiwanese pineapples leads cross-strait trade into troubled waters
- Beijing’s ban on Taiwanese pineapples is a bad omen, with potentially far-reaching consequences for economic ties
- The mainland once hoped a closer trade relationship could pave the way for ‘reunification’, but that thinking may be over
Chinese customs cited a technicality for the restriction: bugs were spotted in the tropical fruit. But Taipei immediately framed the ban as a calculated political move by Beijing to wage economic war against Taiwan, particularly the southern part of the island that generally supports the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Whatever the motive, the ensuing spat has shown that goodwill is running out between the two sides and mutual mistrust is poisoning once robust trade ties.
Beijing once hoped that trade with Taiwan could pave the way for “reunification”. The self-ruled island is regarded as a renegade province that will be taken back by force if necessary, and the opening of the mainland market to Taiwanese fruit in 2005 was a goodwill gesture from Beijing.
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Why has the relationship between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan taken a turn for the worse?
But to the increasing frustration of China‘s leaders, closer economic ties have done little to convince Taiwanese residents that unification is a good idea, especially since Tsai Ing-wen became president in 2016.