The United States asked China to lift import restrictions against most US meat processing plants more than a week before the action was made public, the Financial Times reported. "The Food Safety and Inspection Service conducted a review of these plants that confirmed they are following all regulations," a spokesman for the US Department of Agriculture said. He noted the differences in standards between the US and China and said that China's actions are not necessarily without merit. China will send a delegation of officials to the US to discuss food safety issues, a trip which was planned before China's chicken and pork import restrictions against seven US companies.