China's Taiwan Measures Offer Preferential Treatment to Food Industry; Chen Shih-chung Cautions of Disruption Risk
Following KMT Chair Cheng Li-wen's visit to China, the CCP Taiwan Affairs Office announced 10 measures, including preferential treatment for Taiwanese food producers and easier import procedures. Minister Chen Shih-chung welcomed the offers but warned of potential disruption risks and the need for industrial adjustment.
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- 📰 Published: April 12, 2026 at 16:09
- 🔍 Collected: April 12, 2026 at 16:29 (20 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 22:38 (174h 9m after Collected)
Following KMT Chair Cheng Li-wen's conclusion of her visit to mainland China, the CCP Taiwan Affairs Office announced 10 measures affecting Taiwan this morning, covering agriculture, transportation and tourism, health and welfare, and the film and television industry. One of these is 'to provide convenience for Taiwanese food production enterprises that meet requirements to register in mainland China and for the import of Taiwanese food into mainland China.'
Minister without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung attended the 'Healthy Taiwan Policy Challenges and Prospects' forum this afternoon. Responding to media inquiries about China's preferential treatment for the food industry, he stated, 'We welcome some preferential measures!' Taiwan will not give up any opportunity, but future overall planning still requires careful consideration.
Chen Shih-chung said that in the past, there were experiences of China offering preferential treatment to Taiwanese food businesses. Whenever policies change, it is necessary to consider how to respond; therefore, one cannot just see the superficial benefits and assume they are always advantageous. At the same time, consideration must be given to how the overall industrial chain should adjust and cope if the measures are suddenly halted, all of which require thorough foresight and planning.
Former Director-General of the Food and Drug Administration of the Executive Yuan, Kang Chao-chou, pointed out that in the past, cross-strait food exchanges were very frequent, and both sides could sit down to discuss import regulations and reciprocal measures, but political factors caused the exchanges to be interrupted; in recent years, the food import regulations and tariff environment have been unfavorable, and there have been frequent restrictions and temporary import stops, affecting the entry of Taiwanese food into the Chinese market.
Kang Chao-chou said that Taiwan's food industry used to have an advantage compared to China, but with the rise of large Chinese food enterprises, coupled with lower labor and production costs, Taiwan's food competitiveness in the Chinese market has gradually declined, even becoming a disadvantage; although China has repeatedly proposed preferential measures, many large Taiwanese food businesses, such as Uni-President and Taisun, have gradually withdrawn from the Chinese market, indicating changes in the overall environment.
Furthermore, Kang Chao-chou pointed out that despite the Chinese authorities expressing welcome, Taiwan's food competitiveness in the local market is actually insufficient, so businesses' industrial layout no longer relies on a single market, and setting up factories in China is not the only option; shifting focus to Southeast Asia has become a common strategy.
Kang Chao-chou believes that if China wishes to enhance its attractiveness to Taiwan's food industry, it should first relax the relevant regulations for Taiwanese food enterprises registering in China and importing products, and should not set excessively unfriendly or strict standards; secondly, tariffs must be sufficiently competitive to allow Taiwanese food to have room for development in the Chinese market. (Editor: Wu Su-rou) 1150412
Minister without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung attended the 'Healthy Taiwan Policy Challenges and Prospects' forum this afternoon. Responding to media inquiries about China's preferential treatment for the food industry, he stated, 'We welcome some preferential measures!' Taiwan will not give up any opportunity, but future overall planning still requires careful consideration.
Chen Shih-chung said that in the past, there were experiences of China offering preferential treatment to Taiwanese food businesses. Whenever policies change, it is necessary to consider how to respond; therefore, one cannot just see the superficial benefits and assume they are always advantageous. At the same time, consideration must be given to how the overall industrial chain should adjust and cope if the measures are suddenly halted, all of which require thorough foresight and planning.
Former Director-General of the Food and Drug Administration of the Executive Yuan, Kang Chao-chou, pointed out that in the past, cross-strait food exchanges were very frequent, and both sides could sit down to discuss import regulations and reciprocal measures, but political factors caused the exchanges to be interrupted; in recent years, the food import regulations and tariff environment have been unfavorable, and there have been frequent restrictions and temporary import stops, affecting the entry of Taiwanese food into the Chinese market.
Kang Chao-chou said that Taiwan's food industry used to have an advantage compared to China, but with the rise of large Chinese food enterprises, coupled with lower labor and production costs, Taiwan's food competitiveness in the Chinese market has gradually declined, even becoming a disadvantage; although China has repeatedly proposed preferential measures, many large Taiwanese food businesses, such as Uni-President and Taisun, have gradually withdrawn from the Chinese market, indicating changes in the overall environment.
Furthermore, Kang Chao-chou pointed out that despite the Chinese authorities expressing welcome, Taiwan's food competitiveness in the local market is actually insufficient, so businesses' industrial layout no longer relies on a single market, and setting up factories in China is not the only option; shifting focus to Southeast Asia has become a common strategy.
Kang Chao-chou believes that if China wishes to enhance its attractiveness to Taiwan's food industry, it should first relax the relevant regulations for Taiwanese food enterprises registering in China and importing products, and should not set excessively unfriendly or strict standards; secondly, tariffs must be sufficiently competitive to allow Taiwanese food to have room for development in the Chinese market. (Editor: Wu Su-rou) 1150412