Researcher questions China's fruit policy

A Taiwanese expert raised three questions yesterday about China's policy to import Taiwan fruit on preferential terms, including whether Taiwan's agricultural technologies will also be exported to China, impacting competitiveness.

Sun Ming-teh (孫明德), an assistant researcher at the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (台經院), also asked: What if China suddenly stops the imports? That would create a huge surplus in the Taiwan market, greatly damaging farmers' interests, he said.

Thirdly, he said China can demand reciprocal treatment from Taiwan sometime in the future.

"By then, China's farming industry may be good enough to compete with us; how do we say no [to such a request]?" he asked.

If the government does not have good answers to these questions, he said he fears that Taiwan may suffer economically.

Sun said China agreed to open its market to Taiwan's fruit when Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) visited China recently, an indication that there is a political scheme behind the liberalization policy.

Following China's announcement of tariff-free status for Taiwan's fruits, it created "green passage" in Fujian Province for 16 kinds of Taiwanese fruits, such as wax apples, star fruit and mangoes, to enjoy fast customs clearance for display at a trade show.

Chinese officials said more Taiwanese fruits will be given this treatment in Guangdong and Shanghai, and people in Beijing probably will begin to enjoy zero-tariff Taiwanese fruit in July.