Zhu Fenglian Photo: Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council

The Chinese mainland on Monday suspended imports of mangoes from the island of Taiwan, after detecting harmful pest in the fruit that poses a serious threat to the mainland's agricultural production and ecological security if allowed in, a mainland official said.

In a brief statement on Monday, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that since the beginning of the year, mainland customs have detected a harmful pest Planococcus minor in mangoes imported from Taiwan. If allowed into the mainland, the pest will pose a serious threat to agricultural production and ecological security in the mainland, she said. 

"In order to prevent risks from the source, the General Administration of Customs has decided to suspend the import of mangoes from Taiwan to the mainland from August 21, 2023," Zhu said in a statement, noting that the mainland has notified relevant authorities on the island and urged for efforts to further improve the phytosanitary management system.

"The above-mentioned measure is normal biosecurity precautionary measures, scientific and reasonable, and comply with relevant laws, regulations and standards of the mainland," Zhu said. 

The move on Monday came just a week after the Chinese mainland announced on August 14 anti-dumping measures on polycarbonate imports from Taiwan region, requiring a deposit to be paid for import, after a months-long investigation concluded that dumping of polycarbonate had harmed industries on the mainland.

The relevant parties have drawn widespread attention as the secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities on the Taiwan island once again sought to collude with US politicians to challenge the one-China principle, with a so-called "transit" of Taiwan's deputy regional leader Lai Ching-te in the US.

Following Lai's provocative "stopover" in the US, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) launched a large-scale joint military drill around the island of Taiwan on Saturday, marking the PLA's third major countermeasure operation against the collusion between "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and external interference forces since last August.

Global Times