BEIJING: Several countries including Japan, Britain and the United States are urging Chinese customs officials to pause the rollout of regulations on food imports, arguing the measures risk further disrupting global supply chains.

       Diplomats from seven economies, which also include Australia, Canada, the European Union and Switzerland, expressed their concerns in an Oct 27 letter to Customs Minister Ni Yuefeng, according to a copy seen by Bloomberg News.

       They were objecting to a pair of decrees handed down in April that require food importers to meet sweeping new registration, inspection and labelling requirements by Jan 1, 2022.

       “Despite significant outreach by our respective governments to the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), there remains a significant lack of clarity regarding GACC’s implementation of these decrees.

       “This includes the products subject to these provisions and the specific actions requested of foreign authorities,” the diplomats wrote.

       “Products for importation into China will soon be shipped, therefore decrees 248 and 249 risk disrupting global food supply chains and delaying food supply into China.”

       The diplomats sought the agency to delay the food-import measures for “at least 18 months”.

       The April decrees cover a broad range of products such as royal jelly, vegetable oil, infant food and wheat flour.

       Producers of goods that belong to 18 specific categories would require recommendations by the authorities in their home countries, while others must self-register via an online platform that launched this month. ― Bloomberg