How Beijing uses economic coercion to try and sway Taiwan’s elections

China banned Taiwan pineapples in early 2021, devastating the industry [File: Ritchie B Tongo/EPA]

Taipei, Taiwan – In early 2021, Chien and his fellow pineapple farmers in southern Taiwan received bad news: China had added their crop to a list of banned imports, claiming concerns about pests and other safety issues.

At the time, Taiwanese pineapple farmers were sending nearly all their fruit to China in an industry worth $284m a year, even after factoring in the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a month, the price of their pineapples had dropped from 60 US cents per 600gm to mere pennies, according to Chien.