The government would not allow Chinese imports to be used as “united front” propaganda, the Mainland Affairs Council said on Sunday, in response to controversy surrounding products extolling pro-unification views.
Tainan City Councilor Lee Chong-lim (李宗霖) of the Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) on Sunday shared a photograph on Facebook of Chinese-made snail rice noodles on sale in Taiwan.
“You are Chinese and so am I, so after rounding up, you are all my people,” the packaging reads.
Photo courtesy of Lee Chong-lim
The photograph was taken on July 15 last year at a branch of supermarket chain Mia C’bon in Taipei, but as of Sunday, the product was still on the shelves, Lee said.
The TSP yesterday held a news conference calling for a zero-tolerance policy on offending importers.
Lee said he reported the product on Sunday after it was brought to his attention by a member of the public and the authorities said they had already responded.
However, the product is still available to purchase in Taiwan, Lee said.
People were talking about the product online as early as 2021, but it has been ignored by the authorities, he said.
The problem is not a new one. In 2020, a toy rabbit imported from China meant to teach small children basic facts, songs, classic poetry and other information was found to say the phrases “China’s biggest island is Taiwan” and “National Day is on Oct. 1,” despite having passed inspections.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs in March last year amended the Regulations Governing Trade Between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區貿易許可辦法) to state that importers are responsible for expunging any “united front” content before selling products in Taiwan.
In addition to other punishments, those who contravene the rule can have their import permit suspended for two months to one year, or revoked.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said that as the products keep making it onto the shelves, the government must be stricter on importers, adding that those importing such goods should have their permits revoked.
The ministry must demand that the offending product be taken off the shelves, while inspectors must pay greater attention to products originating from China, Kuo said.
As China is cracking down on Taiwanese imports without reason and there is a legal basis to deal with this kind of situation, the government cannot back down, DPP Legislator Lin Tai-hua (林岱樺) said.
Last night, the Ministry of Economic Affairs issued a statement saying it has not permitted the import of the products and has instructed them to be pulled from the shelves. Companies found to have smuggled in the products would be dealt according to the law, it added.
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