Published Date: 2021-09-20
Taiwan’s Council
of Agriculture says it is ready to seek a dispute settlement with the World
Trade Organization over China’s recent import ban on Taiwanese fruits. Deputy
Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih said on Monday that China has until the end
of the month before Taiwan raises an appeal.
On Sunday, China’s
customs administration said that it was temporarily halting imports of sugar
apples and wax apples from Taiwan, starting Monday. The administration says
that is because shipments contained scale insects, an agricultural pest.
Taiwan’s agriculture council says it has not received any complaints from China
in recent months of fruit carrying pests.
The agriculture
council says China is acting against established procedure by unilaterally
stopping imports. The council says it has sent a letter of complaint to Chinese
authorities, and it will take the dispute to the World Trade Organization if
China does not respond by the end of September.
Agriculture
official Lin Chia-jung says it would be the first time Taiwan has taken an
agricultural dispute to the organization.
President Tsai
Ing-wen has also condemned the move by China to halt imports. She says it is
not the first time China has unilaterally violated international trade norms.
Tsai also says the ban is not motivated by ordinary trade considerations.
Local experts
believe Taiwan is in a strong position to win the dispute. However, the
settlement process can take anywhere from several months to two years.