Chinese customs officials met with their Belgian counterparts last month and reached a number of agreements that will pave the way for more Belgian food exports. This came after China lifted a decade-long import ban on Belgian beef due to mad cow disease.

Chinese customs officials visited Poland last week and set the foundation to allow the resumption of imports of Polish beef, as well as market access for Polish berries and pet food.

On June 15, China's customs agency lifted decade-long bans on Polish and Belgian beef. The impact of the announcement on trade in these products remains an open question.

A planned trip by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to China was postponed indefinitely due to the president's illness. Nonetheless, it did not stop a series of agreements on bilateral cooperation from being announced in recent weeks. These new agreements cover a number of areas, including

China's Customs agency announced that it would suspend beef imports from a U.S. company due to the detection of an illegal substance, an outstanding issue that the United States and China were supposed to work on under the Phase One Agreement.

On October 26, China’s General Administration of Customs issued a notice [http://www.customs.gov.cn/customs/302249/2480148/3969244/index.html] (link in Chinese) setting forth SPS requirements for imports of beef from Italy. The notice takes effect immediately. The notice sets forth details on SPS requirements for

On October 18, China’s General Administration of Customs issued a notice [http://www.customs.gov.cn/customs/302249/2480148/3960106/index.html] (link in Chinese) that would allow imports of beef from Russia if certain requirements are met. It is an implementation of the Protocol on the Inspection, Quarantine