Taiwan tightens control of Chinese transshipments as South Korea reports suspicious parcels

韓國通報可疑包裹，台灣加強對中國轉運的控管

South Korea investigating whereabouts of over 2,000 international parcels


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to a security threat caused by a vast amount of unsolicited packages from China through Taiwan, Taiwan's national postal service announced on Sunday (July 23) a halt of transshipment services for unverified Chinese logistics service providers and exporters among other rigid shipping rules.

The decision came after multiple reports of suspicious packages from Taiwan across South Korea, including one package sent to a healthcare institution that is believed to contain hazardous substances that might pose health risks to recipients. Of nearly 1,000 reports of suspicious international parcels submitted on Friday (July 21) alone, a hundred of them were shipped from Taiwan, SBS reported.

On Saturday (July 22), Chunghwa Post said the parcels in question originated from Shenzhen, a coastal city in the south of China's Guangdong Province, and that it had stopped transhipping parcels to South Korea. A postal company official said sending items from China to other countries by transshipment via Taiwan is popular as it is faster and cheaper than sending them from China directly to the country of destination.

In response, the company announced, for security reasons, transshipping will only be made available to cross-border e-commerce platform-verified Chinese logistics service providers and exporters, who in return will be asked to select new customers carefully.

On the logistics side, caution will be exercised, the company said, such as tightening parcel screening and increasing random examinations at customs. Additionally, items frequently found in customs violations will be subject to a higher inspection rate for transshipping, such as solid perfume, fragrances, lipsticks, and cotton pads.

The official said South Korean police are investigating the whereabouts of over 2,000 international parcels which had been sent with the parcels in question on June 23. The logistics service provider that processed the parcels in Taiwan has been suspended for sending goods to South Korea and might face litigation for the loss by Chunghwa Post.

Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) on Saturday (July 22) expressed worries that the incident would be doing harm to Taiwan's international image and demanded a thorough investigation.