Regarding China's complete cessation of imports of aquatic products from Japan for half a year, spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular press conference on February 23 that China's corresponding preventive and response measures are completely justified, reasonable and necessary.
At the meeting, a Kyodo News reporter asked that after Japan started the Fukushima nuclear power plant "treated water" discharge into the sea, China completely stopped importing aquatic products from Japan, and as of tomorrow (February 24), half a year has passed. Do you have any comment?
In response, Mao Ning said that Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima is related to human health, the global marine environment and international public interests. It is entirely justifiable, reasonable and necessary for all countries, including China, to take corresponding preventive and response measures to safeguard food safety and people's health.
Mao Ning pointed out that Japan should respond to the concerns of the international community in a serious and serious manner, dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a responsible manner, and fully cooperate with the establishment of an independent and effective long-term international monitoring arrangement with the substantive participation of neighboring countries and other stakeholders, so as to prevent irreversible consequences caused by the discharge into the sea.
Japan's Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) officially launched the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge plan on August 24, 2023. In the afternoon of the same day, the General Administration of Customs of China issued an announcement that in order to fully prevent the risk of radioactive contamination caused by the discharge of nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea in Japan, protect the health of Chinese consumers, and ensure the safety of imported food, the import of Japanese aquatic products will be completely suspended from now on.
According to a previous report by Kyodo News, data from the Japan Fisheries Agency showed that Japan's total exports of aquatic products in 2022 will be about 387 billion yen (about 2.6 billion US dollars), and exports to China will account for about 22 percent of the total5%, scallops, bonito, tuna are Japan's main export species to China.
Text丨Reporter Lin Liai.