Mainland suspends export of natural sand to Taiwan

The Chinese mainland will suspend the export of natural sand to Taiwan, starting from Wednesday, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

A spokesperson of the ministry said the Chinese mainland has made the decision in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, according to an article on the MOC website.

The spokesperson made the remarks when facing media inquiries for answers and comments regarding if the Chinese mainland will adjust its policies on exporting natural sand to the Chinese island.

Experts said the suspension is worth noticing, as Chinese mainland is an important supplier of major raw material for concrete to Taiwan.

"Although mining natural sand has impact on the environment, the Chinese mainland has been exporting natural sand for years to support the construction work in Taiwan up till now," said Zhang Yansheng, chief researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

"For Taiwan, importing the low value-added resource product from the Chinese mainland is the most convenient and inexpensive procedure," he added.

Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said the export suspension will have impact on infrastructure construction in Taiwan, which may spillover to overall economic activity in the Chinese island.

Chinese mainland's suspension of natural sand exports to Taiwan will have an impact on the latter's chip manufacturing industry, according to a former vice-minister of commerce.

Wei Jianguo, who is now vice-president of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said Taiwan currently consumes around 90 million metric tons of natural sand in a year, among which one third are from the Chinese mainland.

Quartz sand, a type of natural sand, is an important raw material for chip manufacturing, and Taiwan is a major global supplier for chips, Wei said.

liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn