China's commerce ministry holds hearing on imported beef case

BEIJING - China recently held a hearing regarding a safeguard investigation on imported beef, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday.

The hearing was held at the request of relevant stakeholders and in accordance with working procedures, the ministry said in response to an inquiry.

Around 180 representatives attended the hearing on Monday, according to the ministry. The participants included government officials from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, as well as those from exporters and their associations, Chinese importers and domestic beef producers.

According to the ministry, all stakeholders shared their views and concerns during the hearing.

Investigation authorities will take these views into consideration and make an objective and fair ruling based on facts and regulations, the ministry said.

Last year, China initiated the safeguard investigation into imported beef in response to an application submitted by industry associations.

The application claimed that the import volume of the product under investigation saw a sharp increase over the previous five years, growing 106.28 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2019.

The applicants said that the sharp increase has significantly impacted China's domestic industry. The domestic industry has experienced substantial damage, and a causal relationship exists between the import volume increase and this substantial damage, they said.