China suspends imports of all Japanese aquatic products

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China will suspend the imports of all aquatic products originating from Japan starting from Thursday to prevent risks from Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater.

The General Administration of Customs (GAC) said in a statement that it has decided to take the emergency measures to comprehensively prevent radioactive pollution risks caused by Japan's discharge of the contaminated wastewater, protect the health of Chinese consumers and ensure the safety of food imports.

The decision has been made in compliance with China's food safety law, administrative protocols regarding the safety of food imports and exports, as well as the WTO's agreement concerning the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, according to the GAC.

Chinese customs authorities are highly concerned about the risk of radioactive contamination, stemming from the discharge of the wastewater, to Japanese food and agricultural exports to China, said an official with the GAC's import and export food safety bureau.

The GAC will continue to pay attention to the situation of Japan's discharge of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean, and dynamically adjust relevant oversight measures to prevent risks to the health and food safety of the Chinese people, the official said.