China Suspends US Poultry Imports Amid COVID-19 Spread Concerns... Trade Agreement Compliance Warnings Raised

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] China has suspended imports of chicken and other products from Tyson Foods, the largest meat processing company in the United States. As COVID-19 cases increase in the capital Beijing, China is aiming to block infection routes by restricting imported food products. This move has raised concerns that the US-China trade agreement could face setbacks.

According to a statement from the General Administration of Customs of China on the 22nd, China announced that starting from the 21st, it will ban imports of processed poultry products from Tyson Foods due to COVID-19. The ban targets products produced at a specific slaughter facility registered under number 'P5842', which refers to products packaged at the Springdale plant in Arkansas, USA. In fact, Tyson Foods announced on the 19th that 693 workers in the US had tested positive for COVID-19.

Previously, on the 19th, China had stated it would accept advice from international organizations that the risk of virus transmission through imported food is low, making this a complete reversal of its stance.

Tyson Foods issued a statement on the same day claiming, "The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have stated that there is no correlation regarding virus transmission through food."

This decision by China has raised concerns that another red light has been turned on for the US-China trade agreement. Bloomberg reported that if China continues to suspend imports citing COVID-19, the promised expansion of agricultural product imports to the US may not be properly fulfilled.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.