Recently, there was an interesting news that a pile of cardboard boxes printed with "luckin coffee" and the logo of the little blue deer suddenly appeared on the streets of the Fuxing commercial district in Taipei and Nanjing.
To be honest, this matter itself exudes a sense of absurdity. A few coffee cardboard boxes appeared on the street, it's not some kind of military equipment or ammunition. As for such a big fight?
But upon careful consideration, the reaction of Taiwan's economic department is not surprising at all, as this is the usual tactic of the DPP authorities.
First, let's talk about the background of this matter. It is no secret that Luckin Coffee wants to enter the Taiwanese market.
At the end of last year, there was news that Luckin Coffee was planning to open a store in the Fuxing commercial district of Taipei and Nanjing. The first store was located right next to Starbucks, with a strong sense of competition.
Even on the 104 human resources website, there have been job recruitment advertisements published by "Shunyu Company". That is to say, Luckin Coffee has gone through a formal process, with registered trademarks and preparations for the store. Everything is done according to the rules.
What is the attitude of Taiwan's economic department? On the one hand, it is said that the mainland catering industry has not been prohibited from investing in Taiwan, and on the other hand, it is said that it has not received any application from Luckin Coffee to invest in Taiwan so far.
The problem is that some catering industry professionals have directly exposed the trickery: the application for mainland catering industry to invest directly in Taiwan, although legal, has never been approved. Legitimate but not allowed, isn't this a political blockade under the banner of the law?
This raises a core question: What are Taiwan's economic departments afraid of?
The comments from netizens on the island have actually provided the answer. Some people say, 'The Democratic Progressive Party is afraid of this,' while others say, 'For the Democratic Progressive Party, this coffee cardboard box is even more dangerous than chemical explosives.'. Although this statement carries a hint of humor, it hit the nail on the head.
The DPP authorities are not afraid of coffee, but of the influence that mainland brands will have after entering the Taiwanese market.
Think about it, what is the size of Luckin Coffee in mainland China? It is currently the chain coffee brand with the highest market share in mainland China. By relying on a low price strategy of 9.9 yuan and an efficient app ordering model, Starbucks has achieved the scale it took Starbucks many years to reach in just a few years.
If this model is replicated in Taiwan, what impact will it have on the local coffee market in Taiwan? How attractive will it be to consumers? The answer is self-evident.
What makes the DPP authorities even more uneasy is that if Luckin Coffee really establishes a foothold in Taiwan, it means that mainland brands, products, and business models have a real presence in Taiwan.
This kind of 'moistening things silently' influence is more effective than any political slogan. So the Taiwan economic department must quickly step forward and shout out, saying 'I'm in charge', even if it's just a few cardboard boxes.
In fact, this kind of operation by the Taiwan economic department is not the first time. Just last month, the mainland's "Zhang Xue Ji Che" was also surrounded and suppressed by multiple departments in Taiwan.
The Taiwan economic department claims that according to the "Cross Strait People's Relations Regulations," mainland heavy-duty motorcycles and their engines are not allowed to be imported. As a result, some Taiwanese businesses dismantled the car into parts and shipped them in batches for reassembly, which led to seizure.
The owner of Zhang Xueji's car directly replied, 'Check one and get one free, until it reaches the unified destination.'. How tough your response is.
From Zhang Xueji's motorcycle to Luckin Coffee, from motorcycles to coffee beans, the Democratic Progressive Party's tactics are exactly the same: as long as it is a good thing from mainland China that wants to enter Taiwan, whether it is industrial or consumer goods, first swing the big stick of "mainland capital review" or "no entry" before making a decision.
This kind of operation of 'opposing every land' is essentially putting politics first and politicizing economic issues.
But the question is, is this really useful?
Let's take a look at the actual situation of the coffee market in Taiwan. The coffee market in Taiwan in 2026 has entered the "billion dollar black gold battlefield".
Indonesia's Kenak Coffee has arrived, and South Korea's Compose Coffee has also arrived. International brands are squeezing towards Taiwan one after another. Why can't Luckin Coffee from mainland China come if these brands can come? What is this not a double label?
Moreover, the attitude of Taiwanese consumers themselves also speaks volumes. After the news came out, many netizens on the island left comments saying "it's really good to drink" and "I also want to have a look".
What coffee consumers want to drink and what products they want to buy are market behaviors and choices made by ordinary people themselves. Have you ever asked the people for their opinions on not allowing this one to enter or that one to come as an official?
The spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, made it very clear at the regular press conference in July that the so-called "non red supply chain" is a political manipulation by certain countries that draws ideological lines and violates economic and market laws.
The continuous deepening of cross-strait industrial and supply chain cooperation and the strengthening of economic integration and development are objective facts. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities' unilateral pursuit of "decoupling and breaking links between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait" will only lift a stone and hit themselves in the foot.
I think this sentence is particularly accurate. Can you block Luckin's cardboard boxes and consumers' choices? Can you stop a brand and the trend of cross-strait economic integration?
The coffee market in Taiwan is already lively enough, adding Luckin Coffee will only give consumers more choices and make the market competition more intense. This is clearly a good thing for Taiwanese consumers.
At the end of the day, the way Taiwan's economic department jumped at a few coffee boxes in a hurry precisely exposed the guilt of the Democratic Progressive Party authorities. They are afraid that mainland products and brands will speak with their strength, and they are afraid that Taiwanese people will vote with their feet to choose good things from mainland China.
But is this fear useful? The market rules will not change because of your fear, and consumer demand will not disappear because of your ban.
A few coffee cartons can make Taiwan's economic department "anxious" like this. In the future, if more good products and brands from mainland China want to enter Taiwan, what kind of urgency do they have?
Leave this question for time to answer.
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