Taiwan calls China's end of tariff exemptions on agricultural goods 'coercion'

Taipei, Sept. 18 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) condemned China's announcement on Wednesday that it will end tariff exemptions on 34 agricultural and aquacultural products from Taiwan, effective Sept. 25, labeling the move as "economic coercion."

In a statement released late Wednesday, the MAC said China's decision to suspend tariff exemptions on 34 agricultural or aquacultural products represents a "weaponization" of trade and harm the interests of farmers and fishermen on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"This only leads to resentment among Taiwan's farmers, fishermen and the general public, and does not contribute to the long-term development of cross-strait relations," the MAC said in the statement.

It is clear China is weaponizing trade and using preferential measures as tools of coercion, the MAC said, warning that the Chinese Communist Party's "goodwill" has political motives and can be revoked at any time.

The 34 products effected by the end of import tariff exemption from Sept. 25 include fruit -- coconuts, betel nuts, pineapples, guavas, mangoes, pomelos, papayas, peaches, plums, sugar apples, starfruit, wax apples, jujubes, persimmons, and loquats -- according to the Chinese Ministry of Finance's announcement.

The affected products also cover vegetables, including cabbages, cauliflowers, loofahs, bok choys, Chinese cabbages, bitter melons, onions, carrots, lettuce, taros and wasabi; as well as seafood including pomfrets, mackerels, hairtails, flatfish, herrings, bass, shrimps and mussels, according to the announcement.

Citing 2023 statistics, Taiwan's Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said the annual tariff exemptions on these agricultural and aquacultural goods was nearly US$1.08 million.

China has made several cuts to preferential tariffs on goods imported from Taiwan in recent years, as both sides accuse each other of creating trade barriers.

In addition to halting preferential tariffs, China imposed anti-dumping duties on polycarbonate imports from Taiwan in April, while Taiwan extended anti-dumping tariffs on toweling products from China from Jan. 1.

The Chinese State Council's Tariff Commission approved the proposed suspension of tariff exemptions on Taiwanese imports on Sept. 14, the announcement said.

Chen Binhua (陳斌華), a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said that since 2005, the tariff exemptions have helped Taiwanese farmers and fishermen expand their access to the Chinese market, bringing them "tangible benefits."

However, he blamed the current administration led by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in Taiwan, for its "stubborn adherence" to a pro-independence stance.