China to enhance oversight of Japanese aquatic imports

Asked to comment on China's General Administration of Customs' recent announcement to conditionally resume imports of aquatic products from certain regions of Japan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Monday stated that following strong demands from China and the international community, Japan has agreed to international monitoring of its Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater discharge and independent sampling and monitoring by China, while pledging to continuously carry out such monitoring activities. 

On this basis, China and Japan have held multiple rounds of consultations on resuming the import of Japanese aquatic products to China. Japan has pledged to implement a series of credible and transparent measures to ensure the quality and safety of aquatic products exported to China and to strengthen regulatory oversight, Mao said. 

In accordance with Chinese laws and regulations and international trade rules, based on scientific evidence from monitoring data and prudent analysis, Chinese authorities issued an announcement yesterday to conditionally resume imports of aquatic products from certain regions of Japan that meet China's standards, Mao added.  

Chinese authorities will continue to strengthen regulatory measures to ensure the safety of food for the public. Should any risks be identified, necessary import restrictions will be imposed immediately in accordance with the law.

In response to another media inquiry on whether China recognizes the safety of discharge of nuclear contaminated wastewater at Fukushima now as it resumed imports of Japanese aquatic products, Mao said that China's position against the discharge of nuclear contaminated wastewater into the sea has not changed. It is precisely because of China's firm position and active promotion that international supervision has been effectively strengthened.  

China will continue to cooperate with the international community and urge Japan to translate a series of commitments in long-term concrete actions to effectively manage and control the risks of discharging nuclear contaminated wastewater into the sea, Mao said.