Chinese beef embargo ‘not a relationship problem’, says Bolsonaro

On November 10th, President Jair Bolsonaro stated that China’s embargo on Brazilian beef is not caused by problems in his relationship with the Asian country or with President Xi Jinping. Brazil voluntarily suspended its meat sales to China after identifying two atypical cases of “mad cow” disease, but it is up to the Chinese to decide when to end the embargo which has now lasted more than two months.

“In international trade, the head of state, when it falls within his sphere, he leads in order to sell more expensively and buy cheaper. It’s not because I don’t like that president that I’m going to stop doing business with that country. If it’s cheaper, I’ll buy from him,” he said in an interview with Cultura FM radio.

See below a history of beef exports to China since 2020. Data are from DataLiner:

Brazilian Beef Exports (HS 0202) to China | Jan 2020 to Sept 2021 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Bolsonaro questioned the recognition of cases of the disease that led to the suspension of national exports. “The problem with the meat is that a month or so ago, a public official from Minas Gerais said that he had found a case of ‘mad cow’, leading to dozens of ships being blocked in China’s ports. But he said it without any proof,” Bolsonaro said in the interview.

Tests carried out in laboratories inside and outside the country confirmed that two animals had atypical cases of the disease, in Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recognized the negligible risk for the Brazilian herd. Even so, China maintains the veto.

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article, visit the link:

https://valor.globo.com/agronegocios/noticia/2021/11/10/embargo-chines-a-carne-de-gado-nao-e-problema-de-relaeamento-diz-bolsonaro.ghtml

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