Beijing has announced weeks before the Taiwanese elections that it will allow imports of high-value fish from the island – an issue specifically raised by the Kuomintang, the main opposition party, during a visit to mainland China earlier this year.
The General Administration of Customs will once again allow imports of grouper fish – a high-value aquaculture product in Taiwan – from registered farms on the island from Friday, according to a notice on the customs website.
Taiwan ramps up penalty for spying amid concern of espionage by mainland China
Taiwan ramps up penalty for spying amid concern of espionage by mainland China
Beijing suspended imports in June last year, saying it had discovered banned chemicals and excessive levels of oxytetracycline, a type of antibiotic, in the fish, an accusation rejected by the Taiwanese authorities.
Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the decision was based on “a comprehensive assessment of relevant corrective measures”, after Taiwanese industry representatives to the mainland had provided information about measures taken to address the problem and expressed the “strong hope” that imports could resume, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Some Taiwanese grouper farming enterprises have already registered with mainland customs authorities and will be able start exporting immediately, according to the report.
Beijing’s announcement comes just weeks before the island’s presidential election on January 13, which is poised to shape future cross-strait relations following years of tension during the presidency of Tsai Ing-wen, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, who came to power in 2016.
Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway territory that must be united with the mainland – and has never renounced the use of force to do so. Meanwhile, most countries do not officially recognise Taiwan as independent but many, including the United States, are opposed to a forcible change in the status quo.
Andrew Hsia Li-yan, one of the KMT’s vice-chairman, raised the problems Taiwanese food importers faced – including the grouper ban – during a visit to the mainland in February.
During his 10-day trip, Hsia met top Taiwan affairs officials, including Wang Huning, head of China’s top political advisory body and the number four in the Communist Party hierarchy, and Song Tao, head of the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office and party’s Taiwan Work Office.
Hsia is now on another trip to the mainland, during which he reportedly met Taiwanese businesspeople in several cities, and is expected to return to Taiwan on Friday.
The lifting of the import ban also comes on the heels of Beijing’s announcement on Thursday that it would suspend tariff cuts on 12 Taiwanese products covered by the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement.
The agreement, a landmark trade deal signed in 2010, includes a list of 806 items approved for tariff reductions.
Meet the group trying to get Taiwanese to take risk of war seriously
Meet the group trying to get Taiwanese to take risk of war seriously
Zhu told Xinhua that the “two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family” and that “family matters can be discussed and resolved” as long as there was clear opposition to Taiwanese independence.
“We are willing to work with the relevant parties on the island to continue to provide assistance in resuming the importation of Taiwan’s agricultural and fishery products into the mainland,” she said.
