New Zika restrictions another 'tit-for-tat'

In what seems like a
rather inexplicable move,
the Chinese authorities
have just demanded that
imported US goods must
be “mosquito-free” to
prevent the Zika virus
from spreading to Asia.
The Chinese general
administration of quality
supervision, inspection
and quarantine stated
that “with immediate
effect, it means that
there is a need to
provide a certificate
of extermination of
mosquito. If no certificate
is provided, the buyer
must fumigate the cargo
at arrival at port of
destination.”
It’s a decision that
is expected to create
export delays and has US
exporters and government
officials scrambling for a
regulatory solution.
As this Chinese
government notice was
relayed to FTW by the
Mediterranean Shipping
Company (MSC), we
approached Glenn Delve,
national marketing
director of MSC in SA, for
an explanation.
First,
he did not
dispute that
any move
to reduce
the high
health risk
of the Zika
virus was
a sensible
precaution.
But when
tasked
with the
fact that
it was aimed at possible
infection from goods from
the US, he suspected that
this was part of the “titfor-
tat trade relationship”
between the two countries.
In this, he added, the
two are well known for
hitting out at each other
with trade barriers and
regulations, with the other
following with its own
shortly after.
“Reading between the
lines,”
Delve said,
“I think it’s
just part of
this normal
sparring
session
between
these two
countries.”
He
supported
this
suspicion
with the
fact that China has made
no such move against
imported goods from
South America – the
primary breeding ground
for the Zika virus.
He also noted that this
was having no effect on the
SA shipping industry, with
no US goods bound for
Asia being transported via
this country. “All the US
exports go directly on the
West-to-East main trades,”
he said.
When asked whether
the SA authorities were
or should be looking at
safety measures as well,
Delve said: “I don’t think
anything will be imposed
in SA. Certainly not on
imports from the US. We
don’t even have any such
restrictions on goods from
South America.”
INSERT & CAPTION
think it’s just part of
this normal sparring
session between
these two countries.
– Glenn Delve