Taiwan bans over 1,000 Chinese agricultural and fishery products, but China is rerouting vegetables like Napa cabbage, cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms through Vietnam in an “origin washing” scheme, the agriculture minister said Wednesday. 

Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) told lawmakers in the Legislature’s Economics Committee that his agency previously sought to sample products in Vietnam to build a database for comparisons but faced interference from Vietnamese officials. Moving forward, the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute will conduct aerial surveys of Vietnamese production areas to calculate yields and track import volumes. If imports exceed the permitted levels, relevant mechanisms will be activated, Chen said. 

Food safety issues have recently sparked domestic debate. DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) pressed Chen during questioning, noting that importers buy bulk vegetables like cabbages, ship them to Vietnam, repackage them in new containers with falsified documents, and import them as legitimate Vietnamese goods. She estimated profits at NT$200,000 to NT$500,000 (US$6,000 to US$16,000) per container. 

Chiu said proving the scheme is straightforward: Vietnam’s 2024 imports of cabbage and napa cabbage hit 80,000 metric tons, far exceeding its actual output. Shiitake mushrooms are also laundered in this way, ending up in group meals and even school lunches.  

Chen replied that the ministry strongly dislikes “origin washing.” Past on-site sampling efforts were limited by the Vietnamese to officially designated locations, so they now rely on varieties brought back to Vietnam by Taiwanese businessmen to build more databases for comparison. Detection is improving, though border areas near China remain tricky. Chen also promised that the ministry will add isotope testing for high-risk items after expert review.