China imposed sanctions on Taiwan due to Pelosi’s visit: sand, fish and fruit were blacklisted. Military equipment was also rolled out spectacularly.
China announced on Wednesday that it would impose economic sanctions on Taiwan, the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Because of his visit to Taiwan.
China imposed export sanctions on natural sand and import bans on fruit and fish products.
Sand is widely used in, for example, construction and concrete production. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the export ban on natural sand is based on law and regulations.
China also imposed a ban on the export of natural sand to Taiwan in 2007. At that time, it justified the ban with environmental concerns. The ban lasted a year. In 2007, more than 90 percent of Taiwan’s natural sand imports came from China.
The reasons are pesticides, pests, chemicals and the coronavirus
China justifies import bans on fruits by the fact that residues of pesticides have been found in citrus fruits. China, on the other hand, said it had found remains of the coronavirus in the packaging materials for the fish.
Even before the visit, as a means of pressure, Chinese customs have suspended the imports of 35 Taiwanese biscuit and pastry export companies since Monday.
The most important agricultural products imported by China from Taiwan consist of seafood, coffee, dairy products, beverages and vinegar.
Earlier this year, China banned the import of certain types of fish, claiming they contained banned chemicals. Last year, pineapples, sugar apples and bell jambolans got on the banned list. In this case, the reason was said to be concerns about pests.
In January-June, China’s imports from Taiwan grew by 7.3 percent year-on-year. China’s imports from Taiwan in the first half of the year were worth approximately 122.5 billion dollars. The matter is clear from the Chinese customs statistics. The largest imported product groups included microcircuits and electronic components.
Disciplinary procedures for foundations
China also announced that it would initiate disciplinary proceedings against two Taiwanese foundations. The foundations are the Taiwan Democracy Foundation and the International Activities and Development Fund of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan. China claims that the foundations have been closely involved in activities pushing for Taiwan’s independence.
Foundations are prohibited from having any kind of connections with organizations, companies or individuals operating in mainland China. Chinese entities can also be punished for cooperating with them.
In the wake of the visit, China also started military exercises around Taiwan. At its closest, the training area only extended about 20 kilometers from the coast of Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense described the military exercises as a senseless move to try to destabilize the international order.
Chinese military aircraft flew close to Taiwan’s airspace and warships moved close to Taiwan’s territorial waters in the Taiwan Strait. Yesterday, social media also showed how long a column of tanks rolled down the streets of China towards Taiwan in the province of Fujian.