China on Wednesday suspended exports of natural sand to Taiwan and halted imports of fruit and fish products from the self-ruled island as the speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan on a trip condemned by Beijing.
In a warning salvo ahead of Pelosi’s visit, Chinese customs had suspended imports from 35 Taiwanese exporters of cookies and cakes since Monday.
Between January and June, China’s imports from Taiwan reached $122.5 billion, up 7.3 percent from a year earlier, Chinese customs data showed.
The most imported products include integrated circuits and electronic components.
Natural sand
China’s commerce ministry said exports of natural sand, widely used in construction and concrete, to Taiwan were suspended as of Wednesday.
The move was based on laws and regulations, the ministry said, without elaborating.
In March 2007, China halted exports of natural sand to Taiwan due to environmental concerns. The ban lasted a year. According to Chinese official data, more than 90% of Taiwan’s natural sand imports came from China in 2007.
Fruit and fish
China also halted imports of citrus fruits, chilled white-striped hairtail and frozen mackerel from Taiwan starting Wednesday, a suspension it said was due to pesticide residues found in the citrus fruits, while traces of the new coronavirus in the packaging of some frozen foods. fish products in June.
China’s major food and agricultural imports from Taiwan include seafood, coffee, dairy products, beverages, and vinegar.
From January to June, China’s top agricultural and food imports from Taiwan were fish and other aquatic invertebrates, which reached 399 million yuan ($59 million).
Earlier this year, China suspended imports of grouper fish from Taiwan, saying it had detected banned chemicals.
Last year, Beijing also suspended imports of pineapple, sugar apple and wax apple from the island, citing pest problems.
Two foundations
China also pledged to take “disciplinary action” against two Taiwanese foundations that it claimed had aggressively engaged in pro-independence activities.
The two foundations, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the International Cooperation and Development Fund of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be prohibited from cooperating with any organizations, companies and individuals on the mainland, it was quoted as saying on Wednesday Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs. Office, as I said.
China will punish all organizations, companies and individuals on the mainland that provide financial support or serve the two foundations, Xinhua reported, adding that other measures will be taken if necessary.
In addition, no agreement or cooperation between four specific Taiwanese companies and mainland companies is allowed because of their donations to the two foundations.
Executives from the four Taiwanese companies — solar producer Speedtech Energy Co., Hyweb Technology Co., medical equipment producer Skyla and cold chain vehicle fleet management company SkyEyes — will not be allowed to enter China continental