China's meat imports expand in first 11 months

BEIJING - China reported Tuesday an expansion of imported meat in the first 11 months to meet the strong demands of the national market, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

From January to November, the total amount of meat imports reached 5.49 million tons, climbing 42 percent year-on-year, the GAC said.

In November alone, the country imported 644,000 tons of meat, surging 82 percent from the same period last year, while pork imports increased 151.2 percent year-on-year to stand at 230,000 tons.

To ensure the safety of imported meat, Chinese authorities stepped up to enhance the supervision and refuse the entry of unqualified products.

China vows to further encourage meat imports, allowing the total to potentially exceed 6 million tons this year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.