China bans Japanese seafood imports, Russia's opportunity?

In July 2023, Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia's food safety watchdog, said that the country is one of the largest seafood suppliers to China. Currently, about 894 Moscow companies are licensed to export seafood to the billion-people market.

Opportunity for Russia to increase seafood exports to China. (Source: Misa )

In a statement released late on August 25 (local time), Rosselkhoznadzor said it is looking to increase the number of exporters and the quantity and variety of products exported to the Chinese market.

The agency assessed that Beijing is a promising market for Moscow's fish products.

To support that effort, Rosselkhoznadzor plans to continue dialogue with the Chinese side on seafood safety issues, as well as conclude negotiations on regulations for the supply of Russian seafood products to the country.

The agency's announcement stated that China was the destination for more than half of Russia's seafood exports in the period from January to August 2023.

Moscow exported 2.3 million tonnes of seafood - half of its catch - last year, earning around $6.1 billion, Rosselkhoznadzor said.

China, South Korea and Japan are the largest importers of Russian seafood.

Earlier, on August 24, China officially banned all seafood imports from Japan, citing concerns about “radioactive contamination risks.” The announcement was made after Tokyo began discharging treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean.

Russia's Interfax news agency also cited a source from Rosselkhoznadzor's Pacific Office as saying that the country would tighten radiation controls on seafood caught in Russian waters - which are relatively close to the Fukushima area.

The Russian side will test selected samples to determine the radiation level.

Japan, for its part, says the criticism from China and Russia is not backed by scientific evidence. Tokyo insists that the level of contamination in the water will be lower than what is considered safe for drinking according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/trung-quoc-cam-nhap-khau-hai-san-nhat-ban-co-hoi-cua-nga-239926.html