Area Development
China has agreed to reopen its market to pork products and live swine from the United States, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The country had issued a ban on all U.S. pork products in May of this year, fearing the products would contribute to the spread of the H1N1 "swine" flu. "China's intent to remove its H1N1-related ban on U.S. pork marks an important step forward in cooperation between the countries on agriculture issues," says U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in the statement. The Associated Press (AP) reports that no date has been set for lifting the ban. AP also says that Sun Zhengcai, China's agriculture minister, says he hopes the United States will follow Chinese requirements to safely resume the exports; in 2008, China was the fastest-growing market for U.S. pork exports.