While the preferential treatment China accorded Taiwanese fruits without consulting Taipei undermined the government's authority, Chinese citizens are also at risk from Beijing's move, several experts said yesterday.
The 15 types of fruit granted tariff-free status hit the Chinese market on Monday under the Chinese government's unilateral move. Taiwan's opposition parties then complained that the administration had set itself up for "degovernmentalization" by allowing Beijing to downsize it.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) was quoted this week as saying that "the result of degovernmentalization was caused by the government itself as it refused to allow private groups to deal with China."
While agreeing with the opposition that Beijing has achieved its goal of weakening the authority of Taiwan's government, experts familiar with cross-strait trade said that the Chinese people might have face risks in the long run.
Chen Te-sheng (陳德昇), head of the fourth division of the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University, said that degovernmentalization was the unavoidable result of the Beijing authorities using preferential treatment for importing Taiwanese fruit as a political tactic.
"The aim of this tactic is to cause inconsistency in this country and to win over the ruling party's core supporters in southern Taiwan. Because of this, the Chinese government never thought of having government-level talks with Taiwan," he said.
Following the announcement of Beijing's tariff-free offer, China's customs authorities declared that they would recognize certificates of origin for Taiwanese fruit from private chambers of commerce in 11 of Taiwan's counties and municipalities.
Chen said this was another example of degovernmentalization.
"Only when the Chinese government reduces the ways that farmers can be exploited in selling fruit to China can the farmers benefit and Beijing accomplish its aims," he said.
He said it will be tough for Beijing to resolve the exploitation problem without creating some degree of social disturbance.
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"The reason bilateral agricultural trade cannot be accomplished by just one of the trading partners is the quarantine issue. The safety of imported fruit cannot be secured without the government's implementation of an effective quarantine program," she said.
Chen Lee-in said that importing fruit from a country without consulting that nation's government is seldom done.
"I was very surprised that the Chinese government did this. It appears the Chinese government never takes its people's safety into consideration," she said.
Although the status of Taiwan's government might be downgraded as a result of Beijing's unilateral move in the short term, China would find out that degovernmentalizing Taipei is unworkable in the long term, she said.
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