Beware ‘lure, trap and kill’ tacticsBy Yeh Yu-cheng 葉昱呈Thailand’s western Ratchaburi province is a major producer of aromatic coconuts, but in the past few years, Chinese firms have invested heavily in establishing collection and export hubs. Described as “lure, trap and kill” tactics, producers are first attracted by market demand and capital. Thailand’s durian industry has previously suffered price volatility due to overreliance on the Chinese market, and a similar situation is now unfolding in its aromatic coconut sector. Taiwan’s agricultural exports have historically been highly dependent on the Chinese market, leading to shocks when Beijing temporarily suspended purchases of pineapples, groupers and sugar apples. Once pricing power is lost and export channels are controlled, government policy space also shrinks.

Source: Taipei Times March 23, 2026 17:15 UTC