China Uruguay Photo: VCG

 
China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced on Tuesday the approval for imports of corresponding beef products from Uruguay, with immediate effect, in a joint effort to deepen trade cooperation with the South American country.

As the largest trading partner of the Latin American country, this move by the GAC came just about a month after the visit of Uruguayan President Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou to China. Industry sources said that this move will help diversify bilateral trade while meeting strong Chinese demand for quality meat.

The imports were approved in line with the laws and regulations of China, as well as the provisions of the GAC and the minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay regarding inspection, quarantine and veterinary health requirements.

The move also covers edible by-products, the GAC said on Tuesday on its official website.

Among the products approved are frozen beef livers, kidneys and tripe.

China is Uruguay's largest trading partner as well as the largest importer of its beef, soybeans and wool. Uruguay is the third-largest supplier of beef to China.

This move is the result of joint efforts and it is very good news for the meat industry in Uruguay, Victoria Cai, country manager of the Asia office of the National Meat Institute of Uruguay, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

This also shows that Uruguay has very strict regulations on hygienic conditions and food safety in the meat sector, which are in line with China's hygienic requirements, Cai said.

Eligible meat plants in Uruguay are still in the registration process, Cai said.

Among the newly approved products, frozen beef tripe is a highlight, since "Uruguay is one of the very few countries that allow the export of tripe to China," Cai said.

According to a survey by the National Meat Institute of Uruguay, tripe exports to China may bring an extra $40 million in revenue to the Uruguayan meat industry - three times the current level.

This is not only because the Chinese market is much bigger than any other market in the world but also because the Chinese market can offer a better price, Cai said.

The move came just a day after some mutton products from Uruguay were cleared for export to China, effective immediately.

Nearly 60 percent of Uruguay's beef and mutton exports go to China every year, with a value of more than $1.6 billion, according to the National Meat Institute of Uruguay. 

"Uruguay's meat industry is very optimistic about the development of the Chinese market and will insist on developing the Chinese market and conducting long-term trade cooperation," Cai said.

Bilateral relations deepened amid the five-day state visit of the Uruguayan president to China in November. The visit coincided with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and it also marked the fifth anniversary of Uruguay's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Over the 35 years since Uruguay established diplomatic relations with China, the categories and quantity of exports have shown a year-on-year growth and significant improvement, as the president stated during his recent visit.

The Uruguayan president's visit to China was fruitful both at the political and economic levels, so expanding beef exports is a follow-up and a logical step, Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday, noting that there will be more trade cooperation.