Cross-Straits bakery plan nearly went awry

A star baker from Taiwan became the focal point of a recent cross-Straits dispute when his business expansion efforts on the Chinese mainland sparked the accusation that he was an advocate of "Taiwan independence".

Wu Pao-chun, who won the Master Baker title in the 2010 Bakery Masters competition in Paris, sought to expand his chain of bakeries to Shanghai. During a trial run in December, mainland netizens called for a boycott due to his previous remarks on the mainland market.

In 2016, when asked about his plan for new branches, Wu was quoted by Taiwan media as saying, "Although the mainland market has over 1.3 billion customers, the world's market has over 7 billion. I won't keep my eyes only on China."