Mainland slams Taiwan's 'economic coercion' claim as nothing but calling white black

BEIJING - The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council has rejected Taiwan authorities' accusation that the mainland is engaging in "economic coercion", following the mainland's announcement to cancel the zero-tariff policy on 34 agricultural products from Taiwan.

Such claims are a complete distortion of the facts, said Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the office, at a press conference on Wednesday.

Zhu said that the mainland began introducing the zero-tariff policies in 2005 to expand the sales of Taiwan farm produce on the mainland.

The measures applied to 15 types of fruits, 11 vegetables, and eight aquatic products, bringing tangible benefits to compatriots in Taiwan, Zhu added.

She expressed regret that in recent years, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have continued to promote "Taiwan independence" provocations, escalate tensions and undermine cross-Strait cooperation.

Zhu pointed out that the DPP authorities have imposed unilateral restrictions on over 1,000 mainland agricultural products, which she said harm the interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

In view of this, the mainland decided to stop implementing the policies of exempting import tariffs on 34 agricultural products originating from Taiwan effective from Sept 25, 2024, she said.

In response to Taiwan authorities' call for consultations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) frameworks, Zhu dismissed the suggestion as an attempt by the DPP authorities to "internationalize" the Taiwan question and reiterated that the foundation for cross-Strait consultations is the 1992 Consensus, not WTO frameworks and regulations.

Zhu urged the DPP authorities to take practical steps to stop undermining cross-Strait relations and harming the welfare of compatriots on both sides of the Strait.