Taiwan official apologizes for saying locals rarely eat custard apples, sparking trade row anger

A recent comment by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh that Taiwanese people "almost don't eat" custard apples, a fruit heavily reliant on mainland China, has ignited a firestorm of criticism. Liang made the remarks during a press conference, suggesting the fruit's market was almost entirely dependent on Beijing.

In response to the backlash, Democratic Progressive Party candidate for Taitung County Magistrate, Chen Ying, invited Liang to taste custard apple ice cream made from local Taitung fruit. At the event, Liang apologized to farmers and pledged to buy 1,000 custard apple ice pops and 100 boxes of the fruit as gifts by the end of the year. Chen Ying humorously suggested that skipping a night at a hotel could fund the purchase of many custard apples.

Lawyer Lin Chih-chiang commented on Facebook that while Liang spoke the truth, he had to apologize for political expediency. Lin lamented that politicians today cannot speak truthfully, questioning Liang's statement and asserting that few people actually eat custard apples. He pointed out the hypocrisy of those criticizing Liang, asking why they remained silent when mainland China banned Taiwanese custard apples and imposed a 29% tariff. Lin labeled this behavior as "bullying the weak and fearing the strong" and accused critics of being overly sensitive.

Liang later clarified that his statement was a "language expression error." He explained that while he said Taiwanese people "almost don't eat" it, the correct expression should have been that they "eat very little." He apologized again to farmers and fans of the fruit, acknowledging that custard apples are currently a niche fruit. Liang stated that if the incident boosts sales, he doesn't mind being criticized.