China's import of custard apples is sparking fears in Taiwan

A scaly, heart-shaped fruit could become the latest cause of friction between China and Taiwan, as the latter warned farmers against Beijing’s plan to step up imports of the crop.

The atemoya, a hybrid of different custard apple species with creamy white flesh encased in a rough green exterior, is a specialty of Taiwan’s Taitung county.

China, a key importer of Taiwanese atemoyas, pledged to buy more of the fruit earlier this month.

But a press release by Taiwan’s agriculture ministry on Saturday claimed this was a “classic example of China’s ‘raise, trap, kill’ process”, by which Beijing creates reliance before leaving farmers exposed to market changes.

Beijing claims the self-governed island of Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out taking it by force. In recent years it has stepped up military drills near Taiwan, including simulating blockades on the island.

Observers say China has also engaged in a range of non-military tactics to pressure Taiwan. And one apparent weapon is fruit.

In 2021, China banned the import of Taiwanese pineapples, causing major disruption to farmers’ livelihoods. This sparked a domestic consumption movement to counter what many Taiwanese saw as economic coercion.

Some argue the same thing is now happening to atemoya.

“First, China makes large purchases to show goodwill and encourage farmers to grow atemoyas. Next it unilaterally imposes export restrictions without warning,” the Taiwanese agriculture ministry said in its press release.

The statement noted that China suspended imports of atemoyas in 2021, citing pest concerns, before partially resuming imports in 2023 and then slapping taxes on the fruit in 2024.

Such moves “cause the industry to face huge instability and farmers to bear great risks,” the ministry said.

It added that China has also been expanding its own atemoya cultivation, posing a threat to Taiwan’s local industry.

The growing debate over the export of Taiwanese atemoyas started earlier this month, after Chinese companies pledged to buy more of the fruit at a forum in China’s Xiamen city – a coastal city on the Taiwan Strait. This was part of a broader plan to expand purchases of Taiwanese exports to China, including fish and tea.

The forum was attended by business leaders and opposition politicians from Taiwan, despite an official ban on participation by Taiwan’s central government.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council spokesperson has since warned that officials who attended the forum could be investigated.

In its statement, Taiwan’s agriculture ministry said authorities would focus on “sustainable agricultural development and stable income for farmers”, and “continue to guide the atemoya industry toward diversified processing”, including by producing frozen fruit products, puree and wines.

But lawmakers from the opposition party Kuomintang have decried such warnings as an attempt to politicise the atemoya industry, warning this could end up hurting the island’s farmers.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an has accused the Mainland Affairs Council of using the issue to “bully and oppress” Taiwanese farmers.

The atemoya is the “TSMC of the fruit world”, he told reporters on Saturday, referencing Taiwan’s world-famous semiconductor giant.

“There is not a country in the world that can produce a fruit as delicious and special as Taiwan’s atemoya.”