China has banned sugar apple and wax apple imports from Taiwan, saying plant pests have been found in the fruits. The move has triggered a fresh spat with the island.

The ban follows a similar block on pineapple imports from Taiwan earlier this year as the mainland seeks to keep up the pressure on Taipei, according to a report in the South China Post. Taiwan claims there is nothing wrong with the fruit and Beijing was “weaponising” its trade policy.

China's customs administration said it had repeatedly detected pests called "Planococcus minor" in sugar apples, also known as sweetsops or custard apples, and wax apples from Taiwan. It asked its Guangdong branch and all directly affiliated offices to stop customs clearance of those products from Monday.

However, Taiwan's Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung said China had behaved unilaterally without providing scientific evidence, and criticised the announcement for coming during the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated by Taiwan and China.

"We cannot accept this," Chen said at a press conference in Taipei about the decision, which he said his office had only received at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Taiwan has told China it will take the country to the WTO under the body's dispute resolution mechanism if Beijing does not resolve the issue under their existing bilateral framework before Sept. 30, he added.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tweeted that, following its military threats, China was now "weaponising trade" and the move should cast doubt over its move to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade group.

Relations between Taipei and Beijing have hit rock bottom with China frequently sending fighter jets and warships in the vicinity of Taiwan to keep the island under pressure.

Also read: Taiwan opts for Azure Fighters – floating vacuum machines to clean up its waters