TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Businesses are cautioned against falling for a list of Chinese incentives aimed at luring Taiwanese agricultural talent.
Beijing on Wednesday (March 17) announced 22 agriculture and forestry-related measures in which it promises support for Taiwanese companies operating and investing in China, such as assistance in financing, networking, and securing land.
The announcement comes after China banned Taiwanese pineapples on March 1. The country cited pests, but the move has been criticized as politically motivated. The Taiwanese authorities have moved swiftly to sound the alarm about the risks associated with the new measures.
The tactic has been used by China to secure Taiwanese agricultural techniques and expertise to address its food security woes such as its African swine flu outbreak and fall armyworm infestation, said Taiwanese Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) at a news briefing Wednesday.
Chen urged against taking the bait, as there are caveats involving operational risks and breach of the law, CNA quoted him as saying. Taiwan imposes strict restrictions on cross-strait agricultural investment and seed exports, for example.
Minister Without Portfolio and Executive Yuan Spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) lashed out against Beijing Thursday (March 18) for its carrot-and-stick approach while urging Taiwanese firms to resist “sugar-coated poison.”