China's safeguard measures on imported beef are designed to help the domestic cattle industry weather its current difficulties rather than to restrict normal trade, said He Yongqian, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Commerce, on Thursday.
"On December 31, 2025, the Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement to implement safeguard measures on imported beef. The measures have been implemented in the form of country-specific quotas and additional tariffs for quantities exceeding the quotas. Specifically, starting from the third day after the quantity of beef imports from a particular country reaches its annual quota, importers of beef from that country must pay an additional 55 percent tariff on top of the currently applicable tariff rate," He explained the measures at a press conference in Beijing.
"I would like to emphasize that the implementation of safeguard measures on imported beef is a temporary step designed to help the domestic industry navigate through current difficulties, rather than to restrict normal beef trade. China's market remains open, and China is willing to work with all parties to jointly maintain a stable and healthy international trade environment," said He.
The measures are in effect from Jan 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2028, and will be progressively relaxed at fixed intervals during the three-year period, according to the ministry.
For products originating from developing countries or regions, safeguard measures shall not apply if the import share of an individual country or region does not exceed 3 percent, and the total import share of all such countries and regions does not exceed 9 percent. However, safeguard measures will apply to these countries or regions starting from the following year if the conditions are not met.
China's safeguard measures on imported beef not designed to restrict normal trade: spokeswoman
