Mainland China bans Taiwan wax and sugar apple imports as cross-strait relations continue to worsen
- Beijing says plant pests have been found in fruits shipped from Taiwan, but the island’s authorities say no proof was provided
- The ban follows a similar block on pineapple exports earlier this year as the mainland seeks to keep up the pressure on Taipei
The General Administration of Customs in China said in a notice that Planococcus minor, a bug that feeds on a wide variety of agricultural crops and plants, has been found on sugar and wax apples from Taiwan “on multiple occasions” this year.
Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung said mainland customs informed Taipei of the import ban on Sunday morning without any “scientific proof” and complained the ban does not “comply with international rules”.
“When they [mainland China] banned our pineapples six months ago, we predicted the same would happen again,” Chen told a press conference. “We still haven’t heard anything on the [evidence for banning] our pineapples. We cannot accept this.”
The banning of wax and sugar apples is significant for Taiwan’s fruit exports. According to data from the Council of Agriculture, more than 90 per cent of these crops were exported to mainland China last year.