[Politics] Ministry of Agriculture: China is not a stable market; agricultural exports should not rely on it long-term

China recently claimed it would purchase Taiwanese custard apples and groupers. The Ministry of Agriculture issued a press release last night (16th), reiterating that China is not a stable overseas market that Taiwan's agricultural products can rely on long-term, and hopes that China will follow international trade norms and scientific principles to resume the import of Taiwanese agricultural products. The Ministry of Agriculture stated in the press release that agricultural export trade is not like retail market transactions where one is happy if someone buys; instead, reliable, trustworthy, and long-term cooperative trade partners should be sought. The Ministry of Agriculture stated that the Chinese market is full of high uncertainty and high risk. Based on past practical cases, China has suspended the export of Taiwanese agricultural products in ways that do not comply with international norms and lack scientific basis, and then opens up imports of specific agricultural products during specific events. This intermittent opening and unexpected suspension of imports not only does not benefit the export of Taiwanese agricultural products but also causes systemic damage to the industry, and the uncertainty also leads to losses in farmers' income. The Ministry of Agriculture said that in recent years, China has unilaterally suspended the import of many Taiwanese agricultural products such as custard apples, citrus fruits, and groupers. This not only lacks concrete scientific evidence but also ignores Taiwan's requests for consultation. After severely affecting farmers' income, it now claims again that it will purchase Taiwanese custard apples and groupers. The Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that China introduced the "Administrative Measures for the Registration of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Food" in 2022, requiring food enterprises from all countries to obtain China's registration and approval before their products can be sold in China. However, after Taiwan formally submitted a list of qualified Taiwanese registrants to China through the official mechanism of the "Cross-Strait Agricultural Product Quarantine and Inspection Cooperation Agreement," China has never responded concretely. It has only unilaterally and without stating reasons selectively registered some Taiwanese enterprises, which is tantamount to imposing disguised import restrictions on Taiwanese agricultural and food products. The Ministry of Agriculture believes that China's practices, which do not conform to international conventions, clearly show that the Chinese market is highly risky and uncertain, and is not a stable overseas market that Taiwan's agricultural products can rely on long-term. The Ministry of Agriculture reiterated that if China expects Taiwan to provide high-quality agricultural products to mainland consumers, it should initiate formal discussions and communication on relevant quarantine and import/export conditions on the "Cross-Strait Agricultural Product Quarantine and Inspection Cooperation Agreement platform," and follow international trade norms and scientific principles to resume the import of Taiwanese agricultural products and smooth cross-strait trade. (Editor: Liu Xiang-hua)