China’s seafood imports show no signs of slowing down, and they come as imports of other animal proteins, such as meat and dairy, are also on the rise. 

In the third quarter of this year, China imported $3.86 billion worth of seafood, up 28% year-on-year.

Meanwhile, China’s Q3 imports of meat, seafood, and dairy surpassed $10bn, according to the latest Chinese customs. It is the first time combined imports of these goods surpassed the $10bn threshold over a single quarter.

Imports of meat increased by 74% year-on-year to $4.79bn for the period, while imports of dairy grew 6% year-on-year to $1.46bn (this does not include infant milk formula). Combined, imports of the three product categories grew by 42% year-on-year to $10.11bn.

For seafood, the Chinese government’s crackdown in smuggling from Vietnam appears to be having a bigger impact on China's imports.

In 2018, Ecuador shipped $1.09bn worth of shrimp to Vietnam, virtually all of which was transhipped to China to evade Chinese customs duties. But in September, Ecuador – China’s largest supplier of shrimp, the country’s biggest seafood import by value -- exported no shrimp to Vietnam for the first time in eight years.

Source: undercurrent news