cherimoya Photo: CFP

Chinese mainland resumed the import of sugar apples from Taiwan island as of Tuesday after suspending the trade due to the detection of plant pests on the tropical fruit.
 
The resumption of imports shows the goodwill of the mainland towards Taiwan-based farmers and the move helps promote cross-Straits exchange, experts said.

The General Administration of Customs of China (GAC) under the State Council decided to resume the import of sugar apples or sweetsops from the island, according to a notice seen on the website of GAC on Tuesday. The fruit must come from registered orchards and packaging factories, the GAC said.
 
The GAC halted the import of sugar apples from the island since September 20, 2021, after detecting harmful pests including Planococcus minor in the fruit.
 
Following the resumption of sugar apple imports the Chinese mainland will continue to facilitate the import of Taiwan's agricultural and fishery products, an official said on Tuesday. 

Mainland customs authorities suspended the entry of citrus fruits and two types of fish products from the island in August 2022.
 
The entry of citrus fruits, as well as chilled white hairtail and frozen horse mackerel from the region, were suspended in accordance with the mainland's regulations after detecting pests and pesticide residue, the GAC said in an online statement.
 
"We uphold the concept of 'both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family'. We are willing to work together with relevant parties in Taiwan to continue to provide assistance for the resumption of Taiwan's agricultural and fishery products export to the mainland," said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, on Tuesday.
 
The resumption of sugar apples import is a positive step towards promoting cross-Straits economic exchange, which shows the mainland putting the interests of Taiwan farmers at the forefront, Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University told the Global Times on Tuesday.
 
It is expected that the mainland will continue to promote cross-Straits integration, including the resumption of imports of other agricultural products from the Taiwan island, Zhang said.
 
The goodwill from the mainland comes in sharp contrast with the move of the island's DPP authorities, which has long set up restrictions on trade with the mainland and people-to-people exchange across the Taiwan Straits. The move by the DPP authorities is not conducive to the economic and trade exchanges between the two sides, Zhang said.