China lifts pork import ban
Dec 01 2009 11:28
Beijing - China on Tuesday announced it had lifted a ban on pork imports from countries including the United States, following through on a pledge made at high-level Sino-US trade talks in October.
"Based on the results of a risk assessment, the restrictive measures imposed on relevant pork products ... are now lifted," China's top product-quality watchdog said in a statement on its website.
Pork imports from the United States, Mexico and Canada were banned earlier this year due to fears that pork from regions affected by swine flu could carry the A(H1N1) virus.
Health experts, however, have since said such concerns are unfounded.
At the annual meeting of the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in October, Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai said China aimed to "quickly resume the imports", over which the United States had complained for months.
US officials at the meeting in the eastern city of Hangzhou hailed the move at the time as marking "an important step forward in cooperation" and in turn pledged to ease restrictions on imports of Chinese poultry.
In September, the United States announced it would slap duties on Chinese-made tyres to protect local US industry, sparking a trade spat.
An angry Beijing lodged a complaint at the World Trade Organisation and retaliated by launching a probe into possible unfair trade practices involving imports of US car products and chicken meat.
Among other subsequent steps, the United States also announced plans to impose up to 15% tariffs on imported Chinese steel pipes.
- AFP
