Taiwan cracks down on sales of mainland China noodles that said ‘you’re Chinese’

Taipei said it was banning sales of luosifen – also known as snail rice noodles – to protect local producers from unfair competition
But the messaging on some of the packaging may mean that politics was also a factor behind the ban

Taiwan

Ralph Jenningsin Taipei, Taiwan

Published: 4:02pm, 18 Jan, 2023

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Taiwanese officials have ordered stores to quit selling a kind of rice noodle soup from mainland China, citing protection of domestic food producers, after thousands of kilograms of the delicacy were smuggled onto the island.

But some of the packaging came with a message linked to Taiwan-mainland ties and analysts say Taiwan may be cracking down for that reason.

The foreign trade bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in statements on Monday and Tuesday that the authorities had discovered 791 cases of “smuggled” luosifen noodles over the past two years, equivalent to about 8.4 tonnes. The bureau says everything was confiscated and the sellers fined.

The ministry said it was “considering the situation of domestic production and protecting domestic industry players so as not to cause market substitution and getting crowded out, resulting in unfair competition”.

Luosifen translates literally to “snail rice noodles” and the dish traces its origin to the city of Liuzhou in the Guangxi region of mainland China.

Taiwan has long banned multiple types of noodles and vermicelli from the mainland, the ministry said on Tuesday. But Taiwanese can order many of these from mainland e-commerce websites and resell them locally.

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Media reports in Taiwan showed some of the rice noodles packaged in colourful bags that read: “You’re Chinese, I’m also Chinese. Rounded once, you are my person.”

The ministry statements followed complaints by a minor political party on Monday that mainland China was infiltrating Taiwan through the sale of the noodles.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs declined requests to comment.

Officials in Taipei may have ordered the removal of noodles from shelves in response to the packaging, said Chen Yi-fan, assistant professor of diplomacy and international relations at Tamkang University.

“It’s a conspicuous violation against the sensitive nerves of [President Tsai Ing-wen’s] administration as well as a perfect backlash for China’s previous bans on several of Taiwan’s seafoods and pastries.”

Tsai’s party takes a guarded view toward relations with the mainland and has refused to accept the one-China principle as the basis for cross-strait relations.

Many noodle imports from the mainland are banned, but people in Taiwan can buy them from online retailers. Photo: Simon Song

The mainland suspended shipments from 105 Taiwanese seafood exporters and eight beverage companies in December. Mainland officials also banned imports of some Taiwanese fruits and pastries in August after former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi angered Beijing with a visit to the island, which it viewed as a breach of its sovereignty.

Stopping imports of mainland noodles is about Taiwan’s “identity” and domestic politics, said Andrew Yang, secretary general of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies think tank in Taiwan.

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Tsai’s party and its opponents are gearing up for presidential and legislative races in January 2024.

A spokeswoman for the Importers and Exporters Association of Taipei said on Tuesday none of the trade group’s members had raised concerns about the crackdown on noodles.