Against the backdrop of an already tense relationship, China has stopped importing meat from Canada. As the Chinese Embassy in the Canadian capital Ottawa announced today on its website, Chinese customs inspectors have discovered a feed additive in Canada that is not allowed in China. Necessary veterinary certificates had been falsified in up to 188 cases.
China has taken preventive measures and has called on the Canadian government to „suspend the issuing of allowances for meat exported to China,“ the statement said. The Canadian government admitted problems with the certificates, according to Canadian media reports, and said it had informed the law enforcement agencies.
Measures have been taken „to tackle this problem and continue to work with industry partners and Chinese officials,“ said Minister of Agriculture and Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau.
Politically on a confrontation course
According to the Canadian meat association CMC, pork and beef are affected by the ban. „The meat processors and the entire meat and livestock industry are extremely worried, as this will have significant business implications for our industry and cause huge financial losses for our industry,“ a statement by the CMC said. China was Canada’s second most important export market for pork last year.
Canada and China have been politically confrontational for months. This was prompted in early December by the arrest of Chief Financial Officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, in Canada. The daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei is accused in the US of bank fraud in connection with sanctions against Iran.
Since then, two Canadians have been arrested in China, accused of being involved in activities that „endanger national security.“ Some critics see the detentions as a Chinese retaliation for cracking down on the Chinese woman.
