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Following China's sanction of US arms suppliers for selling weapons to Taiwan, the two countries escalate their dispute to trade matters.

According to AP News, starting next week, China is banning Taiwan's imports of fruit, seafood, vegetables, and other goods. The Taiwanese government has responded by stating that it violated trade laws, specifically the rules mandated by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Both China and Taiwan are members of the WTO.

China's Implementations on Taiwan

Banning imports is not an isolated case of China-Taiwan's ongoing dispute. ABC News reported that it stemmed from Taiwan experiencing increasing pressure from China in military, political, and economic areas to give up its independence and accept Beijing's authority.

Not to mention Taiwan's rich agricultural sector currently worth around $500 billion, and its advanced tech industry which has produced computer chips, are both valuable to the self-ruled country's economy.

WTO Interference

In the AP News report, Taiwan underlined that China banning imports of stated goods brings more harm to Chinese and Taiwanese farmers than good.

To sort the dispute, Taiwan suggests a dialogue with the World Trade Organization, the only event where both sides can communicate. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs explained the importance of WTO by exploring the split of the two countries in the 1949 civil war, with China using its power to exclude Taiwan from the United Nations and limit its diplomatic relations to just 12 countries.

Besides Taiwan, China has had trade disputes with other countries, particularly South Korea, Australia and Norway. Outcomes of political dialogues among these countries differ and are likely different from Taiwan's case as well.