1.China urged to negotiate as tariff exemptions end

On September 18^th, the Chinese Ministry of Finance announced that 34 items, including fresh fruit, vegetables and aquatic products that were originally exempt from tariffs, would no longer be eligible for exemptions from Wednesday next week. The Ministry of Agriculture said that the impact of the sudden policy change would be manageable. The ministry said that China had previously unilaterally suspended the imports of Taiwanese pineapples, mangoes and wax apples, and that few items are subject to zero tariffs. Moreover, registration is required for food products imported into China, imposing further obstacles for Taiwanese exporters, it said. Other obstacles include high marketing costs, long waiting times to clear customs, relatively high value-added taxes, the prevalence of local fruits being passed off as Taiwanese fruit, competition from low-cost local fruits and the difficulty of resolving disputes, the ministry added.　Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih said that there were 52 items that could be imported into China tariff-free.

2. In Response to World Rabies Day, the Ministry of Agriculture and Pingtung County Government Host a Grand Awareness Event

Rabies is a significant zoonotic disease with a fatality rate of nearly 100% once symptoms appear. To raise public awareness, the Pingtung County Government held the "World Rabies Day and African Swine Fever Prevention Awareness Event" on September 22. The event featured the participation of Deputy Minister of Agriculture Du Wen-Chen, Director-General of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Qiu Chui-Zhang, Director of the Veterinary Medical Institute Deng Ming-Zhong, and representatives from various animal disease prevention agencies. In addition to promoting disease prevention concepts, the event offered free rabies vaccinations, pet microchip implantation and registration, and health check-ups for pets. The goal was to help pet owners understand the benefits of vaccination and work together to stop the spread of rabies.