MAC Terms China's Agricultural 'Support' as a 'Lure, Trap, and Kill' Strategy

The Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of the Chinese mainland stated today that it intends to continue assisting Taiwanese farmers and fishermen in expanding their market reach. In response, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) asserted that the mainland market imposes significant trade uncertainty on Taiwanese producers, questioning the sincerity of such support and characterizing the process regarding Taiwanese pineapples and sugar apples as a 'lure, trap, and kill' tactic.

TAO spokesperson Zhang Han stated during a regular press conference that the mainland remains a crucial export destination for Taiwanese agricultural products. She noted that Beijing has implemented a series of measures in collaboration with Taiwanese groups to help producers find market outlets and stabilize their earnings. She emphasized that the mainland market can accommodate Taiwanese agricultural goods and remains committed to the principle of 'cross-strait family.'

In a formal response, the MAC highlighted that China unilaterally suspended the import of Taiwanese sugar apples in September 2021 and ignored Taiwan’s requests for dialogue via official cross-strait communication platforms. When imports resumed in June 2023, they were subject to specific political prerequisites and conditions.

The MAC further pointed out that Beijing’s policy remains volatile. Despite claims of support, China began imposing a 29% tax rate (20% tariff and 9% value-added tax) on Taiwanese sugar apples starting in 2024, along with varying tax rates on other fruits. The MAC stressed that this pattern constitutes a classic 'lure, trap, and kill' process, exposing Taiwanese farmers to extreme trade uncertainty rather than offering genuine assistance.