Reading Time: 2 minutes Sydney/Beijing | Reuters — Australia has reached an agreement with China to resolve their dispute over barley imports, the two countries said on Tuesday, a latest sign of improving ties between the major commodity trade partners. Relations between the two had been strained for years, and worsened after Australia called for an inquiry into the […] Read more
Australia reaches deal with China in barley dispute
Trade shift may be 'bad news' for Canada and other exporters
China to plant more soy, speed up GMOs to ensure food supply
Beijing reiterates goals to increase soy acres, intercrop with corn
Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters — China will increase its efforts to boost output of soybeans and edible oils, state media reported on Monday, citing a key rural policy document, as it continues to push for greater self-sufficiency in its key food supplies. The world’s top soybean buyer is trying to lower its heavy reliance on imports […] Read more
China’s 2022 pork output highest in eight years
Average hog weights remain relatively high
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — China’s pork output increased 4.6 per cent in 2022 from 2021 to reach its highest level since 2014, official data showed on Tuesday, confounding some expectations for a smaller rise. Pork output in the world’s top producer of the meat reached 55.41 million tonnes, the highest since 56.71 million tonnes recorded eight years […] Read more
Brazil moves closer to China corn exports as Beijing approves traders
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing/Sao Paulo | Reuters – Chinese customs updated its list of approved Brazilian corn exporters on Wednesday, a move a Brazilian agriculture official said could jumpstart sales of corn to the world’s second-largest economy. The approvals could reshape global trade flows and result in fewer sales for farmers in the United States, the world’s top corn supplier. […] Read more
China to step up investment in rural infrastructure
Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters – China will accelerate investment in rural infrastructure to improve its ability to ensure food supply while also stabilizing the economy, according to a plan published by the agriculture ministry on Tuesday. The plan, backed by eight ministries and government agencies, comes amid slowing growth in the world’s second-biggest economy, due to […] Read more
China blocks Lithuanian beef, dairy, beer as Taiwan row grows
Canada seeks to join EU trade case against China
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing/Vilnius | Reuters — China suspended imports of beef, dairy and beer from Lithuania this week, Lithuania’s veterinary control agency said on Thursday, amid a growing trade dispute over the Baltic nation’s relations with Taiwan. China’s General Administration of Customs had informed the country it was halting the exports due to “lack of documentation,” the […] Read more
New China import rules bring headaches for food, beverage makers
Cooking oil, milled grains among foods moved to higher-risk categories
Reading Time: 3 minutes Beijing | Reuters — Makers of Irish whiskey, Belgian chocolate and European coffee brands are scrambling to comply with new Chinese food and beverage regulations, with many fearful their goods will be unable to enter the giant market as a Jan. 1 deadline looms. China’s customs authority published new food safety rules in April stipulating […] Read more
China to make protein for livestock from carbon monoxide
Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters – Chinese researchers say they have found a way to produce an animal feed protein from carbon monoxide in what is being hailed as a breakthrough that could help reduce the country’s reliance on huge volumes of imported soybeans. China is by far the world’s top buyer of soybeans, bringing in around […] Read more
China calls for overhaul of farm subsidy rules under WTO
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters – China on Thursday called for the removal of “enormous” farm subsidies in some developed countries as part of Beijing’s push for reform of the World Trade Organization. “There are very unfair rules in the agriculture sector, and enormous subsidies some developed country members are entitled to, that severely distort international agricultural trade,” Wang […] Read more
China’s buyers expect Brazil’s beef back soon despite BSE cases
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters — Chinese beef importers said Monday the suspension of exports by top supplier Brazil due to two cases of BSE has had no immediate market impact, with some still making purchases in anticipation of a quick resumption of trade. Brazil said on Saturday it had confirmed two cases of ‘atypical’ bovine spongiform […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
