US beef talks continue

Talks to allow US beef imports to China are still ongoing, a US food safety official has said.

"Progress is being made but ongoing discussions continue at very high levels," said Alfred Almanza, administrator of the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service, at the APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum in Beijing on Friday.

Almanza highlighted the importance of face-to-face talks between officials from the two countries, but also reiterated that trust is also important.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine confirmed in a news conference in November that the two countries are in talks to resume beef imports, especially imports from cattle up to 30 months old.

Chinese authorities initially banned all US beef imports when mad cow disease was found in the United States in 2003.

In 2006, China lifted the ban on beef imports from cattle up to 30 months old and five kinds of by-products.

However, US beef imports to China continue to stagnate due to the fact that US authorities, who insisted that China lift the ban on all beef imports and products, refused to issue sanitary certificates for beef from cattle up to 30 months old, according to China's quality watchdog.