On Saturday, Taiwan’s government threatened to take Beijing to the World Trade Organization after China halted the import of grouper fish from the island, citing the discovery of banned chemicals as the reason. This is the latest agricultural quarrel between the two countries.
China halted imports of pineapples, sugar apples, and wax apples from Taiwan last year, alleging pest concerns, which Taiwan vehemently refuted.
Relations between Taipei and Beijing, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, are at an all-time low, with China intensifying political and military pressure on the island in an attempt to force acceptance of its sovereignty.
China’s customs department announced late Friday that it had found illegal substances in grouper from Taiwan on multiple occasions and would stop importing them starting Monday “in order to avoid hazards and protect consumers’ health and life.”
The accusation was refuted by Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-Chung, who said there was nothing wrong with the fish and that they will submit data to China and request a response.
He warned reporters that if China does not respond, Taiwan will consider pushing the matter to the WTO.
China has frequently boycotted and blocked Taiwanese agricultural and aquatic exports, according to Cabinet spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng, “in a manner inconsistent with international conventions.”
This not only harmed Taiwanese-Chinese relations but also made the Taiwanese people more angered by the Chinese Communist Party’s willful oppression of Taiwan.
While the majority of Taiwanese grouper is consumed in the country, China accounts for nearly all of the exports.
