China has increased its scrutiny of US-imported fresh fruit in the wake of heavy tariffs introduced last month, potentially creating knock-on effects to supply chains.
The Chinese government has sent teams of quarantine experts to major trade ports such as Shanghai and Shenzhen to carry-out more detailed disease checks on US produce, sources told Reuters.
“China has resumed the practice of inspecting every batch of US fresh fruit,” one of the sources said, compared with only around 30% before the tariffs.
Fruit were included in the list of 128 goods, many of which agricultural, that China hit with steep duties in retaliation for US-imposed tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminium.