China's import scale now ranks second globally, with the number of overseas enterprises registered with customs for imported agricultural and food products topping 500,000, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Tuesday.
On Sunday morning, more than 900 kilograms of frozen mutton from Madagascar arrived at the designated meat inspection site in the central province of Hunan.
This is the first batch of imported products after Madagascar's mutton was granted access to China in 2023. It is also the first time that China has imported mutton products from Africa.
"Changsha Customs has set up a special working group to guide mutton processing plants in Madagascar to improve quality health management and complete registration via methods such as video links. And we've also opened the 'green lanes' for imported products from Madagascar," said Wu Chao, deputy head of the Food Safety and Inspection Service under Changsha Customs.
The plant for mutton processing was invested and built in Madagascar by a Chinese enterprise, which is also one of the major companies in Hunan that export hybrid rice seeds to Africa.
"Madagascar's natural grass-fed mutton is delicious and has dual advantages on both quality and price in the domestic market. At present, we are actively promoting the breeding of varieties, the improvement of tropical forage grass, and the construction of breeding cooperatives, so as to bring the experience of China's poverty reduction and agricultural development programs to Madagascar, achieve poverty alleviation by developing industries, and further deepen the agricultural industry cooperation between China and Madagascar," said Yuan Dingan, president of the seed company.
So far, China has given market access to a total of 477 high-quality agricultural products on the basis of scientific assessment.
In 2023 alone, the country's import sources covered more than 200 countries and regions across the globe.
Data published by the GAC show that in the first eight months of this year, China's imports of metal ore and energy products rose by 5.2 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.
Moreover, imports of flat panel display modules and electronic components expanded by 18.7 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively.
Clothing and dried and fresh fruits saw an increase of 6.7 percent and 5.8 percent respectively in imports during the eight-month period.
China's overall import scale ranks second globally: customs data
China's overall import scale ranks second globally: customs data
