How the country wants to protect itself from China

Tokyo Warships, military jets, missiles: Since the visit of US top politician Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, Beijing has been keeping the world in suspense with military threats. The economic sanctions that China is enacting against its small neighbor appear to have less publicity. But it is precisely these that could develop an ominous dynamic if Beijing should extend its economic punishments.

Beijing had already imposed the first sanctions immediately before Nancy Pelosi’s visit last Thursday. Chinese customs suspended imports from more than 100 food companies under the pretext of lack of permits. A short time later, the sand export was stopped.

Both measures are of little economic importance, but the symbolic meaning is clear: “China could put Taiwan under strong economic pressure,” says Max Zenglein, chief economist at the Berlin China think tank Merics. “The level of sanctions is an important indicator to watch for.”