Ensuring agricultural imports from BRI countries necessary despite virus fears

After months with almost no new COVID-19 infections in Beijing, there are renewed concerns of a resurgence of domestic transmissions. Dozens of new cases have been reported in recent days. According to local health officials, all cases can be traced back to the Xinfadi market, Beijing’s largest wholesale food market, where a chopping board used to cut imported salmon tested positive for coronavirus.

As early data suggest this coronavirus strain appears to have European origins, the findings have sparked discussion on how the virus entered the market. Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said it is essentially impossible for a fish to become infected with the coronavirus, but fish can be contaminated by workers during capture or transportation. Still, some say imported agricultural products, particularly imported aquatic products, should not become a loophole in China’s efforts to prevent imported COVID-19 cases. They are calling on relevant authorities to tighten inspection and quarantine measures for such imported and refrigerated products to curb the risk of future virus spread. Local authorities in some provinces have announced they will step up safety inspections for imported aquatic products and other agricultural goods.

China’s imports of agricultural products are expected to see some consequent impact in the near future, and it remains essential for authorities to keep such impact under control, especially when it comes to agricultural imports from countries along the Belt and Road route. China has the ability and will try its best to minimize the impact on agricultural imports from Belt and Road countries.

China also has sufficient capacity and manpower to tighten import inspection and quarantine measures, meaning the process could be completed in a short period to minimize impact. A green channel could be considered for agricultural imports from Belt and Road countries to ensure sustainable development of agricultural trade with these nations.