Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon despite strong opposition from China. The country’s foreign minister Wang Yi, for example, said that it “will not end well” for American politicians who “play with fire”. Imposing punitive measures against Taiwan was the next tactic in China’s condemnation of the visit.
On Tuesday, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency announced that of the 3,200 Taiwanese companies registered with China’s customs under the food category, at least 2,066 companies have been flagged for import suspension. On the night of Wednesday, it was found that China is stopping the import of citrus fruits, chilled white striped hairtail (fish) and frozen horse mackerel from Taiwan starting Wednesday, according to China’s customs.
107 of these companies belong to the “bakery and bread” category. Of these, 35 suppliers have been listed for suspension according to Reuters calculations on Tuesday.
– I heard about the ban just before I finished work yesterday, says one of the affected suppliers.
– Many food companies say that their products have already been stopped in Chinese customs, he continues.
China’s Ministry of Commerce has also stopped the country’s export of sand to Taiwan, Reuters writes Wednesday night.
The Swedish Agricultural Council helps affected companies
The suspensions come after China issued repeated warnings ahead of Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit, which is said to be against China’s “one China” principle that Washington has pledged to uphold.
It is currently unclear whether more suppliers and product sections are subject to import bans. The Taiwan Council of Agriculture said in a statement that it would “take relevant measures to help the companies that have been affected”.