China maintains quarantine on Philippine fruit

BEIJING - China's quality watchdog said Friday that it will maintain a quarantine on fruit imports from the Philippines.

The move is aimed at preventing the introduction of harmful beings to China and safeguarding the nation's ecological security as well as people's health, according to a statement posted on the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine's (AQSIQ) website.

It said that China's examinations on the fruit imports are in line with rules and standards set by the World Trade Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

The agency said earlier that harmful insects or bacteria had been found in pineapples, bananas and other fruit imported from the Philippines in the last year.

The statement added that AQSIQ officials and experts held talks with a visiting Philippines delegation between May 22 and 25 on the problems, showing the delegation photos of harmful organisms found with the exports.

The AQSIQ has also reported its handling of the fruit imports, including return and destruction, to the Philippines delegation, according to the statement.

It said the Philippines side has invited Chinese delegates to the Philippines to conduct examinations, but the AQSIQ will not send delegates to the country for the time being.

The AQSIQ also rejected a demand by the Philippines to send its own quarantine experts to jointly examine the fruit exports, which the AQSIQ said violates international conventions and Chinese laws.

The Chinese administration furthermore urged the Philippines to take effective measures to make improvements and enhance preventive efforts against harmful organisms in orchards and packaging plants, as well as to strengthen quarantine checks before exports, the statement noted.