The reason why China has suspended the imports of seafood, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and pastries from Taiwan is because local exporters had failed to disclose the ingredients of those products as required, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.
Taiwanese authorities over the past week found that China had halted the imports of squid, Pacific saury, fourfinger threadfin, pastries, Taiwan Beer, Kaoliang liquor brewed by Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc., and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages from Taiwan.
China’s General Administration of Customs has two types of registration forms for imports — one for self-registration and one for “recommended” registration, FDA Director-General Wu Show-mei (???) said.
Self-registration uses a standardized registration form, while goods eligible for recommended registration are divided into 18 categories, each having its own registration form, Wu said.
However, regardless of which category exported goods are placed under, all exports from Taiwan are required to be labeled with ingredients shown in percentages, she said.
The FDA respects each exporter’s decision on whether to provide Chinese authorities with the information required from them, and all it could do to help exporters was inform them of that rule, she said.
The Chinese authorities dictate which import channel will be used for every product, she said, adding that currently there are 31 products exported from Taiwan to China and registered through the “recommended” channel, and 824 products which have been self-registered.
The red tape has caused some Taiwanese bakeries to abandon the Chinese market.
The Republic of China Association of Bakeries Director-General Chou Tzu-liang (???) told CNA in a telephone interview that he had received complaints from bakeries about the hassle of having to fill in ingredients shown in percentages since Mid-Autumn Festival in late September.
Some bakeries refused to disclose that information, which they considered a trade secret, while others looking to gain the trust of Chinese authorities complied, Chou said.
The bakeries that decided to forgo the Chinese market turned to the domestic, European, and North American markets, he said.
Taichung Bakery Association Director-General Tsai Wan-tsai (???) told CNA that the registration requirements set by China on imported goods had never been so stringent.
As pastries have a short shelf life, many bakeries in Taichung suffered considerable losses when Chinese customs started blocking their products before the Mid-Autumn Festival, he said.
Many bakeries have since diversified by selling their goods to Vietnam, Indonesia, and India in order to reduce their reliance on China, he said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel