China Removes Customs Exemptions for Dozens of Categories of Goods Exported from Taiwan

On the opening day of the 23rd defense industry conference between the United States and Taiwan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, authorities in Beijing announced new measures to suppress Taiwanese exports to China.

Starting Wednesday, September 25, “customs exemptions will be cancelled for 34 categories of goods exported from Taiwan to China.” The statement was made by Chen Binhua (pictured) of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council, who accused Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te and his government of “damaging economic cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.” Taiwanese exports of fruits, vegetables, and fishery products will be primarily affected by the cancellation of customs exemptions.

The measure, which is sure to seriously damage the island’s economy, was immediately criticized and condemned by the Taiwanese government, which in turn accused Beijing of “belligerent use of trade issues” and of reducing economic initiatives to “instruments of coercion.”

For its part, Beijing has signaled that a conference in Philadelphia on military-technical cooperation between Taiwan and the United States “will not go unnoticed.” According to the Taiwanese press, the two-day conference (September 23-24) has already discussed topics ranging from tactics to counter Chinese pressure to discussing mechanisms to strengthen the island’s defense, but above all “the potential role of US industry in the event of a Chinese blockade.” Finally, the Taiwan News specified that special emphasis will be placed on “the implications of the US presidential election, scheduled for November, on relations with Taipei, especially with regard to financial and military-technical assistance.”