Read the daily news to learn English

Merz calls for a ‘a reliable transatlantic partnership’ after Trump threatens Germany with US troop reduction – Europe live

Meanwhile, the issue of the US deployment in Europe also came up during the European Commission’s daily briefing in Brussels. “The deployment of US troops in Europe is also in the US interest in support of its global role,” the commission’s lead security and foreign affairs spokesperson Anitta Hipper said. She added that the US is “a vital partner in contributing to Europe’s security and defence.” Hipper also pointed out that Germany and other European Nato allies are “increasing their defence spending in an unprecedented pace.”

Mexico’s cartel crackdown hits top ranks – but will it fuel Jalisco violence?

The golden coffin of “El Mencho”, the late leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), had barely been lowered into the ground when the Mexican military dealt a second blow to the very top of the organisation this week. As special forces descended on a ranch in the state of Nayarit, grainy drone footage showed El Mencho’s possible successor, Audias Flores, alias “El Jardinero”, being hauled from a drainage pipe he had tried to hide in, all without a shot being fired. With two strikes in two months, the Mexican state is apparently intensifying its operations against high-profile targets just as Mexico prepares to welcome fans for the World Cup – and it has so far avoided the violent infighting that previous operations against such kingpins have triggered. “We’re yet to see any fractures in the CJNG,” said Victoria Dittmar, a researcher for the Insight Crime thinktank. “But that is not to say they won’t happen.” “With the World Cup coming up, I want to believe that the Mexican authorities have a plan and are confident that this is not going to cause chaos.” Since becoming president in 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum has pursued a more aggressive security policy than her predecessor and ally, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, with official figures showing a leap in drug seizures and arrests, and much talk about using intelligence to dismantle criminal structures. But as Donald Trump has piled pressure on Mexico to do still more, threatening tariffs and unilateral military action, the government has increasingly turned to the old method of targeting kingpins – even if it remains unclear that the removal of any individual can much affect the flow of drugs or other illicit activities. “These blows will change the perception of the action by the Mexican state,” said Armando Vargas, coordinator of the security programme at México Evalua, a thinktank. “But they will not necessarily affect the operations of the CJNG.” In Mexico, the fear is that removing such kingpins can fragment criminal organisations, which can in turn lead successor groups to fight among themselves for territory and business. Experience has conditioned Mexicans to expect such violence. The latest example is the ongoing war between factions of the Sinaloa cartel, triggered by the betrayal and delivery of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada to the US by one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, his former partner at the top of the cartel. But while the killing of El Mencho in February did lead to an immediate surge of violence as cartel gunmen lashed out at security forces, this quickly subsided, and no succession battle has yet broken out. El Jardinero, who controlled CJNG activities in the state of Nayarit and the tourist town of Puerto Vallarta, was among the few considered as a possible next leader of the cartel. It has since been reported that Juan Carlos Valencia González, the California-born stepson of El Mencho, might have already taken over – but in the press conference after El Jardinero’s arrest, Mexican authorities said their intelligence indicated he had been gathering the men and firepower to take power himself. Cartel power politics are obscure, making it difficult to predict how El Jardinero’s sudden removal will affect the stability of the CJNG. But it would run against their economic interests to disrupt the World Cup. “Criminal groups are businesses,” said Vargas. “I don’t think they are thinking about destabilising the country so much as how they’re going to fill their coffers with all the visitors.” US authorities celebrated the arrest of El Jardinero, which was made with the help of American intelligence and may result in his extradition to face charges in the US – but they are already preparing their next demands. Days before, Ronald Johnson, the US ambassador to Mexico, delivered a speech in Sinaloa in which he implied corrupt politicians could be the next target. Then on Wednesday, the US justice department accused the governor of Sinaloa and nine other high-level state officials of drug trafficking and weapons offences, requesting their detention and extradition. “I think the idea is that after they finish with the kingpins on their wanted list, they’re going after politicians,” said Dittmar. “It’s part of this dynamic where, no matter how many operations you do – who you capture, who you kill – it’s never going to be enough for the US government.”

Shock in India after man takes remains of his sister to bank to prove her death

The sight of a man bringing the remains of his dead sister to a bank in India after officials had refused to let him withdraw money without proof of her death has caused shock in India. Jitu Munda, 52, from the Indian state of Odisha, was captured on video carrying the remains of his recently deceased sister through the streets of Keonjhar and placing them outside the local bank. Munda said he had exhumed her remains out of frustration, as bank officers repeatedly refused to let him withdraw the money left in her account without official proof of death. The bank denied requesting any physical presence of the deceased and said they had only requested the legally required documents to prove her death. Munda, who is from a poor tribal community, said before his sister Kalara died several months ago, she had sold some of her livestock, leaving a much-needed 19,300 rupees (£150) in her account. But as he tried multiple times to retrieve the money after her death, officials repeatedly refused, requesting a death certificate that had not yet been issued. “When the bank manager refused to listen and kept asking for proof, I got frustrated,” he told BBC Hindi. “I brought the skeleton to show that she had died.” According to accounts, the police intervened and encouraged Munda to return his sister’s body to the burial ground with assurances his complaint would be addressed. In rural villages across India, it can often take weeks, even months, for a formal death certificate to be issued which is often a source of bureaucratic trauma for relatives left behind. As the video of Munda carrying his sister’s body went viral in India, it prompted nationwide shock and outrage, with many calling it “heartbreaking” and an example of the “lack of humanity” in Indian bureaucracy, particularly for marginalised tribal communities. In a statement, Indian Overseas Bank disputed Munda’s account and said staff had only been following standard procedures after other heirs had also come forward to claim the woman’s savings. “The bank’s intention was to protect the interest of the poor tribal [woman’s] monies in the account,” they said in the statement, describing it as a “highly distressing situation at the premises”. This week, officials confirmed the death certificate had been issued and the money given to the relatives. A minister from the Odisha state government said the case was under investigation.

At least six Australian activists detained by Israel navy after Gaza flotilla boats intercepted

The family of a Newcastle man among at least six Australians onboard boats that were intercepted by Israeli navy personnel in international waters has issued a tearful plea for his safety and lashed out at the Australian government for not intervening. More than 50 boats set sail to Gaza from Italy on Monday as part of the Global Sumud flotilla in the hope of delivering 500 tonnes of aid and volunteers to the Gaza Strip, which remains under naval blockade by Israel. Among those onboard the ships were 14 Australian citizens. On Thursday afternoon, Alexa Stewart, a spokesperson for the flotilla, said just two Australians – Jews Against the Occupation member Anny Mokotow and Brisbane resident Sam Watson – remained in communication and were still sailing to Gaza after 22 boats were intercepted in international waters west of the Greek island of Crete. Stewart has alleged at least six Australians have been detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), including Newcastle climate activist Zack Schofield, University of Sydney student and Wiradjuri, Ngiyampaa and Wailwan man Ethan Floyd, Neve O’Connor, Dr Bianca Webb-Pullman, Surya McEwen and Cameron Tribe. Schofield’s partner, Sarah, said on Thursday that she wanted “every Australian to understand how scary this is”. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email “I got a text message telling me that he was OK and he loved me,” she said. “Then 15 minutes later I saw a video of him being abducted. How would you feel if that was your partner? Or your son? … How would you feel?” CCTV footage posted online showed members of the IDF boarding the six Australians’ vessels. Afterwards, pre-recorded messages were published to social media announcing they had been “kidnapped … against my will”. The remaining vessels carrying Australians had lost communication for at least four hours and were presumed to have been intercepted. The Guardian has not independently confirmed whether the Australians are now detained by Israel or the status of the vessels. The Israeli foreign ministry posted to X that it had found condoms and drugs onboard the “PR stunt flotillas”, a claim disputed by the flotilla’s media spokespeople. Schofield’s parents, Joanne and Peter Schofield, said they were attempting to contact the foreign minister, Penny Wong. “He’s on the flotilla because he is kind, smart and caring,” Joanne said between tears. She said it was their expectation that the Australian government would “do everything they can” to secure the activists’ safety. “I’m really upset, this is very, very frightening,” she said. “I’m furious that our government hasn’t called me back yet, hasn’t said anything to how they’re ensuring … the Australians are safe, are being treated well, and will be released safely immediately … I want a response and I want it right now.” A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said officials were “urgently seeking an update” from Israeli authorities and were “ready to provide consular assistance to any affected Australians”. But they said their “ability to provide support in Israel and Palestine is limited at this time due to the conflict in the Middle East”. “We continue to urge Australians not to join others seeking to break the Israeli naval blockade as they will be putting themselves and others at risk of injury, death, arrest or deportation,” they said. In a statement, the Global Sumud flotilla alleged activists, who are representing 55 countries, had been “threatened at gunpoint” while “engaged in legally protected activity under international maritime law”. “Earlier, multiple flotilla boats reported radio communications jamming. Military drones and vessels were sighted. An [Israel occupation forces] vessel ordered the flotilla to divert aid through Israeli-controlled channels,” they said. The previous Sumud flotilla in October 2025 resulted in seven Australians being detained by IDF, including McEwen. Wong, the Israeli foreign ministry and the Israeli embassy were approached for comment. The Times of Israel reported that “security sources” confirmed the Israeli navy began intercepting the flotilla late on Wednesday.

Jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai wins free speech award in Germany

The jailed media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai has been awarded Deutsche Welle’s freedom of speech award for his contribution to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. The German public broadcaster said on Thursday that Lai would be presented in absentia with the 12th iteration of the award on 23 June at the DW Global Media Forum in Bonn. Deutsche Welle’s director general, Barbara Massing, praised the 78-year-old founder of the now-shuttered news outlet Apple Daily for standing “unwaveringly for press freedom in Hong Kong at great personal risk”. “With Apple Daily, he gave journalists a platform for free reporting and a voice to the democracy movement in Hong Kong,” she said. “His commitment reminds us that press freedom is never a given – it must be constantly defended. With the DW freedom of speech award, we honour his indispensable dedication to democratic values.” Lai, a British citizen, was one of Hong Kong’s most prominent and vocal pro-democracy advocates before his imprisonment. He provided financial backing to democratic parties and politicians and took part in mass protests against Beijing’s rule in 2019 and 2020. Authorities arrested Lai in 2020, accusing him of using the Apple Daily and his political connections to lobby for foreign governments to impose sanctions on China and Hong Kong. A Hong Kong court sentenced him to 20 years in prison in February on charges that include “conspiracy to collaborate with foreign forces” and publishing “seditious material”. He was convicted under the city’s draconian national security law, imposed by the Chinese Communist party in 2020. The ruling was condemned as politically motivated by rights groups and the British government, with Human Rights Watch warning that the length of his sentence amounted to “effectively a death sentence”. Lai’s conviction was the culmination of a years-long saga that critics say represents Hong Kong’s transformation from a largely free city after its return to China in 1997 – following more than 150 years of British rule – to one where dissent is fiercely suppressed. Beijing says the imposition of the law was necessary to restore stability to the city. Lai, who was born in southern China in 1947 and fled to Hong Kong in 1960, said he owed “everything to the people of Hong Kong” and that a prison term would be “redemption” for the “wonderful life” the territory had given him. Additional reporting from Yu-chen Li.

Syrian commission prepares war crimes case against notorious Assad official

A Syrian rights commission is preparing a case accusing Fadi Saqr, a militia leader within the Assad regime, of involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes, a senior Syrian official has told the Guardian. Saqr is a former commander of the National Defence Forces (NDF) militia and is widely accused of involvement in the mass killing and forcible disappearance of civilians in the Tadamon neighbourhood of Damascus, as well as other parts of the Syrian capital. After Bashar al-Assad, the former Syrian president, was ousted in December 2024, Syria’s new government collaborated with Saqr on security files, causing anger among victims who had sought accountability for his alleged crimes. Zahra al-Barazi, the deputy chair of the National Commission for Transitional Justice and an adviser in Syria’s foreign ministry, said the commission was working with victims to build a case against Saqr. Although the commission was appointed by the Syrian government, it is an independent body that will refer its findings to the Syrian judiciary, which in turn will decide whether or not to pursue the case. Judicial proceedings against the former militia chief would be an important milestone for Syria, which has grappled with how to establish transitional justice after more than a decade of war left hundreds of thousands dead and pitted towns and neighbourhoods against each other. Experts have said a proper transitional justice process could help to stem intercommunal violence in the country, which has seen sectarian massacres and sporadic killings since the fall of Assad. Al-Barazi said: “There is absolutely enough evidence against Saqr. We are also working with organisations who have documented a lot of these things. He was useful for certain reasons and he’s no longer useful. No one is above the law.” Last week Syrian authorities arrested Amjad Youssef, a main perpetrator in the Tadamon massacres. Videos found on the laptop of the former intelligence officer that were leaked out of the country documented the killing of nearly 300 civilians by regime forces in Tadamon in 2013. The Guardian in 2022 published a selection of the footage, which showed Youssef ordering blindfolded civilians to run forward while he shot at them, pushing them into a pit, executing them and burning their corpses. While Youssef has become notorious because of the videos, Tadamon residents have long insisted there were many more perpetrators, including members of the NDF led by Saqr. During the celebrations of Youssef’s arrest on Friday, they called for Saqr to be detained. Ahmed al-Homsi, 33, an activist with the Tadamon Coordination Committee, a network that documented the massacres, said: “Amjad was just a foot soldier compared to Fadi Saqr. In Tadamon, nothing happened without orders from Fadi Saqr, whether it was the robberies, the arrests, the disappearances or the killings. He was in control, he knew about it all.” Saqr has denied responsibility for the massacres. He told the Guardian he “only learned of the massacre through the media” and said he “trusted the judicial process”. “Anyone proven to have committed crimes against humanity must be punished,” he said. “My silence regarding the campaigns against me stems from my desire not to influence the course of the investigations.” Saqr said he became the NDF commander in Damascus in June 2013 – two months after the public footage of Youssef’s executions of civilians by the pit was recorded. However, the Guardian has reviewed unpublished videos of additional killings carried out by Youssef and NDF personnel that includes footage shot in October 2013, four months into Saqr’s tenure. Prof Uğur Ümit Üngör, one of the Amsterdam-based academics who obtained the videos and leaked excerpts to the Guardian, said: “What is now often described as the Tadamon massacre was not a single event, but a process of mass killing carried out throughout 2013 and in the years that followed. The NDF participated in these atrocities and Saqr, whatever his personal involvement, was part of the chain of command.” Tadamon residents and other Syrians have long expressed their outrage at the new government’s collaboration with Saqr. Maher Rahima, a 31-year-old man who lived through the atrocities, said: “If the officials of the new government had seen what I saw in Tadamon and heard the sounds of torture and smelled the burning of bodies, they would be ashamed to look at themselves in the mirror after protecting Fadi Saqr and other criminals.” The government has justified working with figures like Saqr by saying it is attempting to balance the need for justice with pragmatic considerations of ensuring Syria’s stability in its transitional period. Saqr has helped the government to liaise with remnants of the Assad regime who have mounted a low-level insurgency since the fall of the former Syrian president. Al-Barazi said plans to build a case against Saqr had been in place for a few months, during which time the political cost of keeping the former militia leader onboard increased. “I think there’s a real acknowledgment that whatever gains from him, balanced against the tension it was creating with the public, is not worth it,” she said, adding that Youssef’s arrest had “helped to push this to the forefront”. Al-Barazi visited residents of Tadamon on Tuesday, inviting them to join forces in building a case against Saqr and explaining how the commission would ensure witness protection. “We said that we would help them come together with a case to put forward to the prosecution against Fadi Saqr,” she said. “That would mean there would be a request to arrest him.” It is ultimately up to the Syrian judiciary, not the commission, to issue such an arrest warrant, but al-Barazi said she had “heard of no resistance” to the plans to mount a case. In Tadamon, the prospect of Saqr facing justice has given new hope to people who saw their neighbourhood turned into a killing field and feel little has been achieved in terms of accountability. Al-Homsi said: “Fadi Saqr’s arrest would be way bigger than that of Amjad Youssef. It would be like a second liberation day.”

Thursday briefing: What new evidence tells us about the reality of racial discrimination in maternity care

Good morning. Researchers have long known that women in the UK experience very different birth outcomes depending on their ethnicity, income and physical condition. Black women, for example, are still about 2.7 times more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth than white women. As the Guardian reported on Wednesday, a new study suggests one possible explanation: that the cumulative physiological impact of stress caused by racism and inequality may itself affect pregnancy outcomes. For today’s newsletter I spoke to Tobi Thomas, the Guardian’s UK health and inequalities correspondent, about what the study found, why it represents a shift in how researchers are approaching the issue, and whether years of reporting on the beat have left her feeling optimistic about change. First, the headlines. Five big stories UK news | Police are treating the stabbing of two men in Golders Green, north London, as terrorism, with the suspect described as having been hunting for anyone “visibly Jewish” to attack. UK politics | Nigel Farage was given £5m by the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne shortly before announcing he would stand in the 2024 British general election. Middle East | Pete Hegseth has denied that the US-Israel war on Iran is “a quagmire” and claimed critics of the operation posed a greater threat to the US than Iran itself, as he came under pressure to set out Washington’s strategy for the conflict. UK news | Police have raided the headquarters of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light following an investigation into allegations of serious sexual offences, modern slavery and forced marriage. Defence | Britain has agreed to create a unified naval force with nine European countries to deter future Russian threats from the “open sea border” to the north. In-depth: ‘It’s not just about individual bias’ Tobi Thomas has spent the past few years reporting on disparities in health outcomes, including a steady stream of evidence showing how unequal maternity care can be. Previous research has established the scale of the problem. Black women are significantly more likely to die during pregnancy or shortly afterwards; babies born to Black mothers have markedly higher risks in neonatal care; and many women from minority backgrounds report not being listened to when they raise concerns during pregnancy and labour. What has been less clear is why those disparities persist. *** What did the new study find? “What this study adds is an attempt to get at the root causes of that disparity – not just describing it, but asking why it exists,” Tobi tells me. Researchers focused on whether social and environmental stressors – including racism and inequality – could have a measurable physiological impact during pregnancy. The idea is not entirely new. “I think people have been aware for a while that it’s not just about individual bias,” Tobi says. “It’s not simply that clinicians have unconscious prejudice. There’s growing evidence across healthcare that stress from racism, deprivation, and unequal opportunities can have a real, physical effect on the body.” Researchers found evidence suggesting that the biological effects of long-term stress may contribute to poorer results for Black women, potentially helping to explain part of the gap in maternal mortality and complications. *** Why is this different from previous research? “Often, studies end with a line saying ‘more research is needed to explain why this happens’. This feels like part of that next step,” Tobi explains. It also complicates a sometimes overly simplistic narrative. While bias in healthcare settings remains a factor, the findings suggest inequality is not only about individual interactions with clinicians, but also about the cumulative physical toll of living with racism and disadvantage. “The lead researcher actually said she was surprised more work hadn’t already been done in this area,” Tobi notes. “So in that sense it is quite pioneering.” *** What action is being taken? There is increasing recognition of the scale of the problem – and some movement towards addressing it. Campaign groups such as Five X More and the Motherhood Group have pushed the issue up the agenda, while Tobi says the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists “are all pushing for better training and greater awareness of racial disparities in maternity care”. At the same time, official investigations have highlighted how inequality plays out in practice. “One thing that stood out from the interim results of the maternity investigation was the role of stereotypes,” Tobi says. “Women from different backgrounds reported being treated differently by healthcare staff. For example, some Asian women said they were stereotyped as being less able to handle pain, Black women reported being seen as exaggerating or making a fuss. These accounts came directly from people contributing to the investigation.” “It’s not,” Tobi says, “about singling out individuals” because “it reflects wider societal attitudes.” *** So where does this leave things? For Tobi, the shift in research focus offers some cautious grounds for optimism. “There’s been a lot of work showing where inequalities exist,” she says. “I’ve reported stories showing that some groups of women are less likely to have their births properly investigated when something goes wrong. So there’s been a steady stream of evidence showing where inequalities exist and how they manifest in different ways. What feels different now is that researchers are starting to dig into why.” That matters, because understanding the causes of disparity is a necessary step towards fixing it. But the picture remains complex. Inequality in maternity outcomes is not driven by a single factor, and solutions are unlikely to be simple. The latest study adds an important piece to the puzzle – but it also underlines how deeply rooted the problem is. What else we’ve been reading Sam Wollaston’s six-part series on abandoned buildings in Britain is a triumph, and the latest instalment on Hulme Hippodrome in south Manchester is excellent. Patrick Having worked in record shops during the 90s, I am no stranger to the idea the music business isn’t always quite on the level. Shaad D’Souza looks at the cynical viral campaigns giving indie bands authenticity’s veneer. Martin I was gripped by this story by Jamie Bartlett on AI jailbreakers, who are tasked with testing the safety and security of AI models. Patrick I came out of Mother Mary immediately wanting to rewatch it, while being oddly unsure whether I had even liked it. Nick Chen talks to director David Lowery about the art-pop movie. Martin Will Tucker Carlson run for president? Arwa Mahdawi has the inside story. Patrick Sport Football | Arsenal men were denied a first-leg edge at Atlético to draw 1-1 after VAR overruled a late penalty award in a Champions League semi-final tale of three spot-kicks. Arsenal women strolled to a 7-0 win over Leicester in the WSL to maintain their pursuit of Manchester City at the top. Cricket | England’s head coach, Charlotte Edwards, announced a squad for the home T20 World Cup that starts on 12 June almost exactly the same as the one that surrendered the Ashes 15 months ago. Football | The Chelsea captain, Millie Bright, has announced her immediate retirement, ending a trophy-laden career during which she won eight Women’s Super League titles and six Women’s FA Cups at the club. The front pages “Police declare terrorist attack after two Jewish men stabbed” – that’s the Guardian while the i paper runs with “Terror attack on UK Jews foiled by police and hero bystanders”. The Telegraph says “Jew hate ‘out of control’ in UK” and the Mail goes with “Anti-semitism is out of control in UK, warns Israel”. The Times’ version is “UK antisemitism ‘out of control’ after Jews knifed”. It’s “Terror on our streets” in the Daily Mirror and the Express has “These attacks are an attack on Britain itself”. The Metro does an organ donation story: “Bittersweet … but my Theo saved 4 lives”. Top story in the Financial Times is “Oil price surges after Trump warns he ‘does not want’ to lift blockade on Iran”. Today in Focus Iran’s wartime executions Over the last six weeks, the Iranian regime has carried out a spate of executions of political prisoners. Guardian journalist Daniel Boffey reports Cartoon of the day | Nicola Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad For centuries, the dance of the mayfly has been shrouded in mystery. But finally, researchers from the University of Oxford and Imperial College London believe they have found the answer to what the thousands of winged insects are up to each spring. By studying recordings swarms of mayflies in flight, the scientists have discovered the secret to the bizarre up-and-down flight pattern that males use to find female to reproduce. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Martin Belam’s Thursday news quiz Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply

Taiwan accuses China of vegetable laundering via Vietnam

Taipei has accused China of smuggling vegetables into Taiwan via Vietnam in a bid to evade import restrictions, with officials vowing to crack down on a practice they say amounts to “origin washing”. Taiwan, which bans the importation of more than 1,000 Chinese agricultural and fishery products, said firms in China were evading restrictions by rerouting vegetables like Napa cabbage and shiitake mushrooms through neighbouring Vietnam. The items, officials claimed, are then repackaged as Vietnamese goods and imported into Taiwan. Taiwan’s agriculture minister Chen Junne-jih told lawmakers at a legislative meeting on Wednesday that his ministry is adopting measures to combat origin laundering, including imposing strict penalties on violators. Chen also said his ministry would “carry out aerial surveys in Vietnam” in order to map out how much produce could feasibly originate from certain areas. “If the volume exported to Taiwan exceeds that, there should be a mechanism to address it,” he said. China’s Taiwan office and Vietnam’s foreign affairs ministry have been contacted for comment. At Wednesday’s meeting, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chiu Yi-ying said it was possible to fraudulently purchase an official Vietnamese certificate of origin for as little as NT$13,000 (about $410). Importers can then make profits of between NT$200,000 and NT$500,000 per container, she added. Chiu called on the agriculture ministry to crack down on the practice by requiring third-party isotope testing to assess the product’s origin. China claims Taiwan as a breakaway province, despite never having ruled the self-ruled island democracy, and has vowed to retake it by force if necessary. The early 2000s were marked by a period of greater economic cooperation between China and Taiwan, culminating in the signing of a landmark free trade agreement between Beijing and Taipei in 2010. But recent years have seen China attempt to intimidate Taiwan’s ruling pro-sovereignty DPP and president Lai Ching-te, who Beijing have labelled a “dangerous separatist”, by ramping up its military, political and economic pressure. The export and import of food items is just one area of tension in relations between Beijing and Taipei. China first suspended the import of Taiwanese pineapples in 2021, citing pest control concerns – an act labelled political by Taipei. In September 2024, Taipei accused Beijing of violating World Trade Organization rules when it banned imports of several more Taiwanese fruits, vegetables and seafood. Taiwan condemned the move as “economic coercion”, saying it “harms the interests of farmers” on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. China has, in return, accused Taiwan of violating the terms of its 2010 free trade agreement by banning the import of 2,509 Chinese products. Additional reporting by Yu-chen Li