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On Dec. 9, China introduced additional import suspensions of Taiwan alcohol and beverages, Taiwanese media outlet Central News Agency (CNA) reported.
According to Focus Taiwan, 11 out of 28 beer and distillery items from Taiwanese exporters will be subject to these suspensions starting from Friday (Dec. 9).
No more beer exports
According to CNA, the General Administration of Customs of China suspended the imports of popular brands of Taiwanese beer and other alcoholic beverages, including Kinmen sorghum liquor and Taiwan’s best-selling beer, named “Taiwan Beer”.
It was also reported that the shipments of 123 out of 354 other beverage products have also been halted, including those from Taiwanese food giant Uni-President Enterprises, Vitalon Foods and Oceanic Beverages.
As of time of writing, the General Administration of Customs of China website did not reflect the stated statistics.
Not the first time Taiwan imports banned
This is not the first time China banned the import of Taiwanese goods in 2022 alone.
In August 2022, the General Administration of Customs suspended the import of citrus fruit, chilled white hairtail (a fish), and frozen horse mackerel from Taiwan to China.
The ban was announced a day after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan despite China’s warnings.
Taiwan officials slam ban
According to CNA and Taipei Times, Premier Su Tseng-chang accused China of violating World Trade Organisation rules by “making its own rules” and “discriminating” against Taiwan in its sudden halt of beer imports.
Joseph Wu, the Taiwanese foreign minister, also tweeted a photo via Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ account in response to the fresh beer import bans.
He said that China is missing the “great taste of freedom” and is engaging in “economic coercion”.
Heard that the #PRC is banning some products from #Taiwan again, including our beer. Economic coercion of course. But they don’t know what they’re missing: the great taste of freedom. JW#FreedomBeer pic.twitter.com/VhcLM4zXPc
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) December 10, 2022
For food safety: China official
Zhu Fenglian, the spokeswoman of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said that the new registration system for imports that China introduced was introduced in April 2021 in order to enhance food safety.
She was also quoted saying that certain Taiwan food exporters did not include the required information for registration and therefore were unable to secure approval for shipping.
She urged them to provide the necessary information for registration.
China expands sales of domestic beer
On Dec. 9, the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China announced the expansion of China's domestic beer in the international market.
In a statement, it observed that almost 1.5 million litres of beer have been exported since August.
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Top images via Twitter/@MOFA_Taiwan, Getty Images/VCG