Beijing suddenly announced on slotxo โบนัส that it would suspend pineapple imports from Taiwan starting Mar 1, citing pests detected on the pineapples.

The Taiwan pineapple ban is reminiscent of China’s ban on Philippine bananas in the aftermath of the Scarborough Shoal standoff in April 2012, when China similarly cited pests on Philippine fruits to deny their importation.

Taiwan’s partners, including Japan and the United States, quickly took action to show their solidarity with the island.

Unlike the banana ban in 2012, this pineapple ban’s timing appears mysterious because no incident preceded the suspension. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called the announcement “ambush-like”.

TRIANGULAR DYNAMICS

The larger background to this ban involves the triangular dynamics between Beijing, Taipei and Washington.

The Biden administration’s statements and actions since its inauguration indicate that it will continue the Trump administration’s strong support of Taiwan.

The pineapple ban is Beijing’s signal to Taipei that it cannot circumvent the influence of Beijing over its affairs, even with US support.

The ban could also be explained with reference to Taiwan’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government having recently reshuffled its Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).

APPLYING CORE PRESSURE

Beijing’s aim is not to economically sanction Taiwan as a whole but to target sanctions against the DPP’s core constituencies.

These include the so-called “three middles and one youth” who tend to be more sympathetic to the DPP: Middle-to-small businesses, middle-to-southern Taiwan, middle-to-low-income people, and Taiwan’s youth.

The pineapple farmers fall into the overlap of several of these categories. It has been rumoured that China’s next sanction target might be wax apples, predominantly grown in southern Taiwan.