On September 3, 2026, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced a new batch of Taiwan ponkan pomelo orchards and packaging facilities that are eligible for export to the mainland. The 3 new Taiwanese ponkan pomelo products all originate from Yunlin County, Taiwan. The Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China stated that the CCP treats farmers differently based on political identity, using economic interests to engage in differentiation and united front tactics against Taiwan, rather than adhering to scientific inspection standards.
CCP Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhang Han mentioned on the 2nd that, based on upholding the ‘1992 Consensus’ and opposing Taiwan independence, and under the premise of meeting relevant inspection and quarantine regulations on the mainland, a new list of Taiwanese ponkan pomelo packaging facilities and orchards was announced on August 25. The CCP Customs General Administration released another new list on September 1.
According to the registration system for plants, animals, and their products on the Chinese mainland, 3 new Taiwanese ponkan pomelo products were added on the 1st, with all operators coming from Yunlin County, which is different from the previous list where all products came from Hualien.
The Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China pointed out that the CCP’s resumption of the registration of 3 packaging facilities and orchards in Yunlin County for exporting Taiwanese ponkan pomelos to the mainland follows the same pattern as before, treating them differently based on political identity under the premise of the ‘1992 Consensus’. This announcement from the Taiwan Affairs Office once again proves that the mainland continues to use economic interests to differentiate and wage united front tactics against Taiwan, rather than opening up for exports based on scientific inspection standards.
The CCP Customs cited reasons such as the presence of the citrus flat mite and excessive pesticide residue to suspend the export of Taiwanese citrus fruits (including ponkan pomelos) to the mainland since August 3, 2022. In September 2, 2024, they resumed the export of Taiwanese ponkan pomelos from select regions in Taiwan, limiting it to those produced in Hualien County. On September 1, 2026, they further added operators from Yunlin County.
The Mainland Affairs Council stated that agricultural product quarantine involves matters of public authority and technical issues, which require communication and practical solutions between the competent authorities of both sides. They have repeatedly urged the mainland to negotiate through the cross-strait agreement platform to swiftly resume the export of Taiwanese agricultural and fisheries products, which would genuinely help Taiwanese farmers and operators; otherwise, it would just be a propaganda tactic for united front against Taiwan’s agriculture.
The Mainland Affairs Council criticized that based on past experiences, similar restoration measures by the CCP have political purposes and can be revoked at any time, which will only harm the long-term development of cross-strait agricultural and fisheries industries and positive interactions between the two sides.