China bans 35 Taiwanese food exporters in warning ahead of Pelosi visit

FILE PHOTO: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) faces reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. July 29, 2022. REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst / File Photo / File Photo

HONG KONG, Aug 2 (Reuters) – China has suspended imports from 35 Taiwanese exporters of biscuits and pastries since Monday, in a warning salvo to the self-governing island ahead of a possible visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the House US Representative, Nancy Pelosi.

Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported on Tuesday that among the 3,200 Taiwanese companies registered with China Customs in the food category, 2,066 entries were listed as “import suspension”.

Of the 107 entries in the biscuits, pastries and breads category, 35 were listed under “import suspension”, according to Reuters calculations based on registration data published on the General Administration of Customs website. from China.

“I learned about the ban before I left work last night,” a business manager for one of the affected Taiwanese food producers told Reuters, adding that he did not know why his business had been banned.

“There are food companies saying their products have already been rejected at Chinese customs,” he said, declining to be named.

The suspensions came as China repeatedly warned Pelosi not to travel to Taiwan, which she claims is hers, on a visit that Beijing says would violate the one-China principle that Washington is committed to respect. Read more

China’s General Administration of Customs did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

“We have noticed this and are trying to find out more,” a staff member at bakery maker Kuo Yuan Ye Foods told Reuters.

It was unclear whether more suspensions were looming, but Taiwan’s largest exports to China by value are electronics and parts, machinery, plastics and chemicals.

China has already suspended the import of a slew of items including grouper, pineapples and sugar apples from Taiwan since last year, citing concerns about pests, which Taiwan has strongly denied. Read more

Taiwan’s Board of Agriculture said it would take necessary steps to help the remaining businesses affected by the suspension “in the short term”, it said in a statement.

In 2021, Chinese imports from Taiwan reached a record $189 billion, according to official Taiwanese data.

Reporting by Meg Shen and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Bernadette Baum

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