President Tsai Ing-wen says that China’s sudden and irrational moves to ban Taiwan’s imports of sugar apples, pineapples and grouper in recent years are in violation of free trade principles. Tsai was speaking on Friday after Beijing banned imports of grouper fish from Taiwan starting Monday. Customs authorities there say they found banned chemicals in samples of the fish.
Tsai says her administration has been taking measures to cut down on risks and losses to agriculture and fish farmers because of the bans from China. The measures include development of diversified markets and expanding exports to the United States, New Zealand, Canada and the EU.
Tsai also hopes that a government-led cold chain logistics system will be able to enhance the quality of Taiwan’s grouper products, in line with the international market requirements.
Meanwhile, Premier Su Tseng-chang says other countries with strict regulations including Japan and the US have not reported any issues with Taiwan’s imports. Su said China’s move is politically motivated and can hurt global trade.