South African apple imports cut after diplomatic spat with Taiwan

South African apple imports cut after diplomatic spat with Taiwan

2025-10-06

Apples from South Africa have all but disappeared from shelves, and it’s no coincidence. What started as a diplomatic dispute over Taiwan’s representation in South Africa has now turned into a high-stakes trade standoff. Taiwan has responded not just by limiting apple imports, but by weaponizing one of its most powerful assets, semiconductors. And it seems the pressure is working.

The apples here come from all over the world: the US, New Zealand, Japan, but not South Africa.

Shopper
Can’t find South African apples
I think they’re mostly from New Zealand, so that’s what we buy. Stores rarely carry apples from South Africa.

Taiwan imported 99 tons of apples worth US$102,000 from South Africa from January to August this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. It’s a steep drop from the same period in 2024, where there were 2,696 tons of imported apples reaching US$3 million. Imports shrunk by 96%, and South Africa fell from No. 6 to No. 10 as a top apple provider.

Voice of Wu Ling-hsiang
Think tank
South Africa depends on Taiwan for more than selling apples. Diplomacy is about giving and taking, so Taiwan is willing to make the effort and fight for its own best interests.

South Africa forced Taiwan to rename and relocate its de facto embassy away from the administrative capital, Pretoria. Taiwan responded by restricting apple imports and for the first time imposing controls on chip exports.

Voice of Wu Ling-hsiang
Think tank
Academically, this would be referred to as “exercising power,” which is built on your resources. Taiwan is a leader in the world when it comes to semiconductors, which make semiconductors a strategic resource. This resource can be weaponized to grant Taiwan power, in a way.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says South Africa wants to negotiate, which could be a sign that Taiwan’s “chip diplomacy” is working. While restrictions have been suspended, it remains to be seen whether they will return to what they were before.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#apples #southafrica #chips #trade #taiwan

降等更名! 南非打壓我國辦事處 "晶片出口管制"引發國際矚目

2025-10-06

南非去年開始將台灣駐點辦事處降等、更名，更移除首都駐處，我國政府擬祭出半導體、晶片出口管制，南非立刻請求協商，可見台灣的「晶片外交」手段奏效，同時在貿易上也作出調整，現在南非的蘋果進口量也雪崩式下滑。

賣場裡整區的蘋果，來自不同產地，美國、紐西蘭、日本通通有，就是找不到南非。

[[民眾]]
“大概都是紐西蘭的多，所以我們都會買紐西蘭的。沒有（買過南非的蘋果），因為賣場好像也很少看到。”

根據農業部統計，今年前8月，從南非進口99公噸的蘋果，總額10.2萬美元，相較於去年同期進口量，2696公噸、總額300萬美元，跌幅超過96%，佔我國蘋果進口排名，也從去年同期的第6名跌至第10名。

[[聲源: 科技力智庫執行長烏凌翔]]
“南非依賴我們絕對不只有蘋果。外交本來就可以有進有退，所以台灣願意這樣做，努力這樣做，就是看爭取自己的最大的權益。”

因為南非打壓台灣主權，將台灣駐點辦事處降等改名，更移除首都的駐處，我國政府出招，除了限制蘋果進口，也首度祭出半導體、晶片出口管制。

[[聲源: 科技力智庫執行長烏凌翔]]
“這個在學理上面叫做權力的運用，那這個權力要以資源做基礎，台灣有的資源就是半導體這個產業獨步全球，所以這個動作是把台灣的半導體優勢化為，或者叫做武器化，拿來當做一種權力的運用。”

根據外交部證實，南非已請求協商，可見台灣的「晶片外交」手段奏效，目前禁令雖然暫時喊停，但兩國的外交談判結果如何？還有待觀察。

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A loader is used to clear dried mud from the ground—one of many piles of earth left behind by flooding caused by the overflow of the Matai’an Creek barrier lake. Considering how much cleanup there is left to do, it’s clear the flooding was severe.

During the flood, this building near the intersection of Zhongzheng Road Section 1 and Linsen Road in Guangfu was nearly entirely submerged. This wooden ladder ended up being crucial to saving many lives: 25 adults, three children, and two cats.

Mr. Wang
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I went on the roof to pick longan, and didn’t put the ladder away when I was done. Two people got swept by this tree and held onto it. Then the people already on the roof set up the ladder over there for them to grab onto.

When he got back home, Wang found his entire house was full of mud and everything inside was destroyed. The vehicles in front were in disarray, and there were many wooden ladders around. Just as he was wondering what happened, people came to thank him. He then remembered he forgot to put away his ladder after harvesting longan. Turns out that his forgetfulness saved lives.

Mr. Wang
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I’ve planted two or three hundred plants. Some have been there for 20 or 30 years. They were all submerged. We came here to become farmers after retiring. Even if we wanted to save the plants, there was no way. The house isn’t even clear yet.

A retiree’s simple life as a farmer was ruined by the flood. Volunteers are still helping him clear out his orchard. He may have unintentionally saved many lives, but Wang stayed modest. He said if he never harvested longan, he wouldn’t have left the ladder, so maybe everyone should thank the longan tree instead.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Reins in hand, the owner and his horse trot side by side through the field. The sight baffled local residents, as this isn’t a racecourse or a farm, but a sports field.

The brown horse is named Caramel. Due to an injury on its right foot, Caramel needed to rest for over a month. Now it’s starting rehabilitation, which is why the owner took it to the field.

Voice of Mr. Wang
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Normally I would go to the beach, but the ground is more uneven there, which may not be so suitable for the early stages of rehabilitation. I was looking for a field with more even terrain, and thought of the Meilun track. I explored the field before taking it here.

The owner brought the horse here for rehab, but many Hualien residents of all ages come to the track to exercise every day. Some wondered if bringing a horse there is safe or even legal.

Yang Yueh-chin
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Unless it’s a service dog, which are generally permitted, other similar animals, including large animals like horses, require a formal application. They need to obtain approval from the Department of Education for the desired activities before we can allow them to take place.

Mr. Wang brought Caramel here for short-term rehabilitation exercises. They didn’t impact other people exercising or harm the field—staff even inspected the grass afterward to make sure. But for safety reasons, the stadium posted notices forbidding large animals such as horses and cows, and plans to increase patrols in the future.

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After getting off of work, a parent comes by this daycare center to pick up her child. The center was set up by a convenience store chain for the use of its employees, who can work at ease knowing their children are well taken care of.

The center is about 330 square meters and staffed by professional caregivers. There are cribs, a play area, and safety equipment. The parents don’t need to pay a registration fee, and diapers are provided for free.

Ms. Huang
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I think it’s great, because for dual-income households, even just getting small children to and from daycare isn’t easy. This kind of daycare center, like I just mentioned, is there when we start and finish work, and is flexible with when we drop them off and pick them up.

The business invested NT$15 million into building the center in Taipei’s Zhongshan District. It’s staffed with professional caregivers, nurses, and cooks, who take care of children aged up to two years old. It’s in operation from 7:30am to 5:30pm, with overtime possible until 7:30pm. There are five benefits parents can enjoy, including free registration, no late fees, free school supplies for the first year, and free diapers. They can also apply for a government subsidy that may cover the full cost.

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For this, we chose to open our own center. It’s important to give our staff peace of mind. We also have some limited spots available for the children of contract employees. Right now, we’re applying to be classified as a semi-public daycare center, so that in the future, if we still have availability, we can open it up to other parents as well.

As more parents are entering the workforce, daycare centers like this one run by companies can help working parents no longer worry about childcare.

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Over here, three drink shops are side-by-side. Across the street, another two are next to each other. Boba is ubiquitous, everyone is holding a drink. Taiwanese people drink a whopping 1.07 billion cups of boba every year, and 40 new beverage stores open every month.

Tang Shih-ching
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There are five beverage stores just within our sight. On this street alone, there are 17 shops within less than 300m of each other. Look around, and everyone is having a sip.

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I’ll drink whatever’s been popular recently. I like drinks with chewy things. There are many stores and they are all located close together, so I can look at every one, and drink whatever I want.

Tea on its own, or with milk. There’s something for everyone. Taiwan’s annual beverage production value is estimated at NT$130 billion. Among all the beverage stores in Taiwan, over 70% are based in the six major cities.

Kaohsiung leads Taiwan in both numbers of beverage stores and sales. Beverage stores boast high gross profits, but, still, a steady flow of profits isn’t guaranteed.

Member of the public
Recently, a lot have been going under, and a lot of new ones are coming in. Usually when rents go up, they switch to another place.

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Competitive pressure mainly comes from your product strength and profitability, which depends on your product R&D and procurement costs. Larger branded chain stores have an advantage. Small brands battling it alone in these areas are very likely to close down not long after opening.

There are multitudes of beverage stores and competition is fierce. If the owners fail to understand consumer preferences, they’ll be quickly eliminated from the market.

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Buying toys on clearance
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Buying toys on clearance
Kids are having fun choosing something, and parents are having fun shopping too.

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Buying toys on clearance
I think we had this in the past, so it’s like a way to say goodbye to a memory.

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In the store’s heydays, it once made a revenue of over NT$1 million in a single day, and also hired up to five storekeepers to keep up with business. Now, the daily revenue rarely exceeds NT$5,000, and only the two owners keep things running. In the end, they chose to close up shop.

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This plastic bag will no longer exist after the store closes, so I’m going to frame it.

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– Where did you come from?
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– Your boss wanted you to drive a scooter all the way here?

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The man claims that he’s on a business trip from Taipei to Hualien. But he’s transporting a large amount of biscuits and instant noodles given to survivors of the Guangfu flooding. Turns out the food’s stolen, and so is the scooter.

– You can’t even tell me who owns this scooter.

The 23-year-old man surnamed Liao had stolen the scooter on Oct. 3 and drove it all the way south to Hualien, which would have taken him six hours. After spending a night in Hualien, he stopped over at Guangfu Township to pick up multiple packets of biscuits and instant noodles meant for disaster victims. He only got pulled over by the police because he didn’t wear a helmet, but that ended up unveiling his entire heist.

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