A rattled China, in the wake of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, has slapped a sudden ban on the imports of more than 100 Taiwanese food brands.
Al Jazeera reported that while China’s General Administration of Customs said the food imports were halted due to the presence of pesticide and the coronavirus in some shipments, the Ministry of Commerce announced that it had suspended sand exports in line with unspecified legal provisions.
Though Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration Director Wu Shou-mei assured the exporters of the country that her department will provide all necessary assistance, she said that the move may have been politically motivated and that the Taiwanese traders were being treated differently. The deadline for registration provided to exporters from other countries is far more flexible compared to the Taiwanese.
Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan is the first by any senior American official in 25 years.
Hua Chunying, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson at the regular daily press conference said that Beijing is keeping a close watch on Pelosi’s trip to Asia. “China has, on many occasions, made its principled position clear and made multiple serious démarches to the US side. We are closely following the itinerary of Speaker Pelosi. And if the US continues down the wrong path, we will take strong and resolute measures to protect our sovereignty and security interests,” she said.
Also read: Nancy Pelosi begins high risk mission to Taiwan that angers China
