US beef plants receive renewed China export registrations ahead of SIAL trade show
USMEF said 38 beef establishments are still awaiting approval for access to the Chinese market
GLOBAL – China’s General Administration of Customs has extended the registration of 425 US beef establishments in its China Import Food Enterprise Registration system for another five years, according to the US Meat Export Federation.
At the same time, the federation said another 77 US beef establishments were newly added to the CIFER system on May 15 with approvals that will also remain valid for five years.
The organisation added that it is still waiting for additional clarification from the US government regarding the scope of the registrations and future trade arrangements tied to beef exports to China.
According to USMEF president and chief executive officer Dan Halstrom, the registration renewals followed discussions between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during last week’s US Beijing summit, where agricultural trade issues were part of the broader economic agenda.
Halstrom said the extension of registrations represented an important step for US beef shipments to China while adding that the organisation was awaiting more information from the Office of the United States Trade Representative regarding ongoing engagements with Chinese authorities.
Market impact across Asia
Meanwhile, USMEF reported that 38 US beef establishments have not yet secured approval from Chinese authorities to export products into the market.
Halstrom said the renewed registrations were expected to support demand from Chinese buyers seeking to resume purchases of US beef products ahead of the SIAL food exhibition in China.
He also stated that China’s return to the market could influence beef prices across other Asian destinations because several countries in the region purchase similar beef cuts from US suppliers.
According to Halstrom, products such as short plate beef cuts could experience price increases of between US$1 and US$2 per pound as a result of stronger Chinese demand returning to the international market.
In addition, he said China’s participation in the trade flow could affect pricing trends in markets including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan because of overlapping product demand across the region.
The US Beijing summit between Trump and Xi covered a range of economic matters, with agricultural commodities including soybeans and beef among the sectors discussed during the talks.
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