TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following China’s ban on pineapples from Taiwan, it will start exporting mangoes to Japan in a fresh challenge to Taiwanese exports, reports said Thursday (April 1).

The March 1 pineapple ban was seen as a politically motivated jab at the nation, though Beijing alleged that “harmful creatures” had infested some batches of the exotic fruit. Soon relabeled as “Freedom Pineapples,” they were popular with Taiwanese consumers and exported to countries such as Japan.

However, China is now planning to export its own fruit in order to rival Taiwanese competition, the Liberty Times reported. The Chinese mango variety is known for being cheap, but fruit traders are unsure whether pricing will be used in Japan to undermine the success of more expensive Taiwanese mangoes, according to the report.

There are also doubts about the origin of Chinese mangoes, with one theory implying they were the same as a mango variety planted by a Taiwanese businessman on the island of Hainan.

The Council of Agriculture (COA) reportedly contacted Japan's government about the Chinese mangoes, but it was reticent to reply as the matter involved trade talks between Japan and China. It is still too soon to tell whether the Chinese mangoes, if they entered the Japanese market in June, would pose a threat to Taiwan fruit, COA officials said.