Canada urged to ensure safety of food exported to China

China has urged Canada to take effective rectifying measures to ensure safety of food exported to China, after discovering falsified meat certificates.

Pork for sale at a supermarket in Handan, Hebei Province [File photo: IC]

Chinese customs authorities recently detected ractopamine residues in a batch of pork products from Canada, and immediately suspended the import from the Canadian company and asked the Canadian authorities to investigate.

The investigation found a total of 188 veterinary health certificates for the pork were counterfeit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press briefing on Wednesday.

"These forged certificates were sent to the Chinese regulatory authorities through Canadian official certificate notification channel. This indicates the existence of obvious safety loopholes in Canada's meat export supervision system," Geng said.

China subsequently took urgent preventive measures and requested the Canadian government to suspend the issuance of certificates for meat export to China starting from June 25, Geng said.

It is the Chinese government's responsibility to ensure food safety for Chinese consumers, and the authorities took actions totally in line with laws and regulations, he said.

"We urge the Canadian side to attach great importance to the incident, conclude the investigation as soon as possible and take effective rectifying measures, to ensure safety of food exported to China," he said.

In response to a query about whether China's suspension of meat imports from Canada amounted to a countermeasure against the case of Meng Wanzhou, Geng said China's stance has been very clear.

"We demand the Canadian side earnestly deal with China's serious concern, release Meng immediately, and let her return home safe and sound," he said.

Meng, chief financial officer of Chinese technology company Huawei, was arrested on Dec. 1, 2018, at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the United States, which is seeking her extradition on fraud charges. Both Meng and Huawei have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.