China is letting more Taiwanese pomelo orchards ship fruit across the strait again, framing the trade opening as a reward for accepting its political conditions — good for a handful of farmers, uncomfortable for Taipei.

• China's customs agency added a new batch of Taiwanese pomelo orchards and packing plants cleared to export, just before the Mid-Autumn Festival when the fruit sells best.
• Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office tied the approvals to deals signed at this year's Straits Forum, saying they rest on the "1992 consensus" and "opposing Taiwan independence."
• China banned Taiwanese citrus in 2022 right after then-US House Speaker Pelosi visited Taipei, hammering the pomelo market.
• A partial reopening came in 2024, but it covered only a small set of orchards and packing sites in Hualien — leaving Tainan and other growing areas shut out.
• The pattern is familiar: market access handed out and withdrawn as political leverage over Taiwanese farmers, a group both sides court.

Outlook: Expect more selective approvals timed to festivals and political moments, with access staying conditional on Beijing's terms.