China lifts ban on Taiwanese grouper fish imports in carrot and stick diplomacy
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China put the grouper ban in place in June 2022 saying it had detected banned chemicals, an accusation Taiwan denied.
PHOTO: PEXELS
BEIJING – China will resume importing grouper fish from Taiwan from Dec 22, the Chinese government announced, just one day after angering Taipei with the ending of tariff cuts on some chemical imports less than a month before Taiwanese elections.
China put the grouper ban in place in June 2022 saying it had detected banned chemicals, an accusation Taiwan denied, as part of a broader ban on Taiwanese food imports that infuriated the government of the Chinese-claimed island.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwanese industry representatives had visited China and provided “rectification” information, so now approved companies can resume grouper exports.
“We are willing to work together with relevant parties on the island to continue to provide assistance for the resumption of the import of Taiwan’s agricultural and fishing products into the mainland,” it said in a statement carried by China’s official Xinhua news agency.
However, Taiwan’s Agriculture Ministry said China was being politically selective in deciding which Taiwanese companies can resume grouper exports and was seeking to “divide Taiwanese fishermen”.
“During the process, they did not consult with us and did not inform us of the scientific conditions for quarantine, resulting in Taiwan’s industry facing no consistent market rules to follow,” the ministry said in a statement.
China has already eased some import bans on Taiwanese pineapples, sugar apples and wax apples, which it put in place citing concerns about pests.
On Dec 21, Taiwan accused China of economic coercion and election interference after Beijing announced the end of tariff cuts on some chemical imports from the island, saying Taipei violated a trade agreement.
Taiwan’s Jan 13 presidential and parliamentary elections are taking place as China has sought to force Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty claims.
Taiwan’s government and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party have repeatedly said China is trying to interfere in the vote, whether by military means or with economic pressure, to ensure an outcome favourable to Beijing. REUTERS
