On April 26, AQSIQ and MOA jointly issued Announcement Number 31, which banned live swine and swine products from Texas, California, and Kansas States of the United States, as well as Mexico, due to human cases of A-H1N1 infection. The announcement also required the exterior of containers of all pork shipments passing through these states to be disinfected.

On April 29, 2009, AQSIQ and MOA jointly issued Announcement Number 36 to ban live swine and swine products from two additional states (New York and Ohio). Announcement 36 also stated that, in the future, live swine and swine products from any state reporting a case of human A-H1N1 will automatically be prohibited.

On May 3, 2009, AQSIQ and MOA jointly issued Announcement Number 38 to ban live swine and swine products from Alberta Province in Canada because of a case of A-H1N1 infection in swine.

In a May 8, 2009 letter to the U.S. Embassy, AQSIQ lifted its temporary suspension on imports of U.S. heat treated pork products after reviewing information provided by USDA regarding the safety of these products. However, AQSIQ maintained the pre-export container exterior disinfection measure imposed in Announcement 31. This requirement has (intentionally) prevented resumption of trade.

On June 26, 2009, AQSIQ and MOA jointly issued Announcement Number 62 to lift China’s ban on salted porcine casings and edible gelatin after concluding these products are safe to import. However, trade did not resumed due to China’s continuation of its container exterior disinfection requirement.

On August 18, 2009, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced that it had reconciled the logistics of implementing the new regulations that afford the AQSIQ an effective means of monitoring the safety and traceability of feed and feed additives.

On October 30, 2009, at the conclusion of the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meeting in Hangzhou, China announced it would move to implement measures to lift the ban. However, China’s ban on US pork produced with ractopamine (FDA approved additive used in pork production), continues in force, even as China drags its feet on affording the US hog producers any actual, practical access to Chinese markets.



I provided this summary to remind you of how China operates in the international community when it comes to agriculturally related issues. The playbook is so predictable; that is, before agreeing to a concession, initiate domestic policies which reflect China's desire to act in consideration of international concerns. And, in doing so, delay the concession initiative as policy-makers explain that they must reconcile their domestic policy initiatives with the new concessions.

Never doubt the efficiency of PRC in protecting its domestic agenda while simultaneously giving the appearance it is working to advance the agenda of the international community, as well as improve trade relations with those countries that depend on access to Chinese markets.

Are they effective? The US pork industry shipped nearly 400,000 metric tonnes of pork worth nearly $690 million to China in 2008, making it the No. 3 destination for US pork. This year, due mostly to the H1N1-related ban, US pork exports to China through August were down by 50% over the same period last year.


Take care.