《TAIPEI TIMES》 No China response via WTO on fruit issue ‘regretful’

By Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter

The government yesterday expressed regret that China has not responded to Taiwan’s request to negotiate fruit sales, after it raised the issue through the WTO.

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China’s General Administration of Customs on Sept. 20 abruptly suspended imports of wax and custard apples from Taiwan, saying it had repeatedly detected pests. The move followed a similar ban in March on imports of Taiwanese pineapples.

The Council of Agriculture at the time said that China had not presented convincing evidence, and that its abrupt suspensions of fruit sales impeded normal trade practices across the Taiwan Strait.

The council then vowed to seek a settlement on the dispute from the WTO, of which Taiwan and China are members.

At a meeting of the WTO’s Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures yesterday, Representative to the WTO Lo Chang-fa （羅昌發） expressed concern to China’s delegation over its bans on Taiwanese fruit, the council said in a news release.

The matter has been listed as part of Taiwan’s special trade concerns agenda to be addressed at the regular meeting, which opened on Wednesday and closes today, it said.

The nation’s permanent mission to the WTO attended the committee meeting in-person, while representatives of other agencies attended via videoconference, it added.

At the meeting, Lo referred to sanitary and phytosanitary measures, as well as other international rules, and asked China to resume imports of the three Taiwanese fruits soon, the council said.

Since the council received China’s reports on unqualified fruit products in March and April, it has tightened quarantine measures for the products, while domestic farmers have improved their quality control measures, it said.

The citrus mealybugs and other pests that China claimed to have found in Taiwanese fruits have also been found in Chinese fruits, the council said, adding that the problem could be solved through quarantine measures.

Despite Taiwan’s repeated calls, China has refused to hold scientific and technical talks with Taiwan on the issue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou （歐江安） told a news briefing in Taipei yesterday.

The government regrets that China has yet to respond to Taiwan’s call for bilateral consultations on the issue, she said.

The ministry would continue to work with its WTO mission, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations and the council on behalf of the interests of Taiwan and its farmers, Ou said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES