After a six-year hiatus, German pork exports to China have achieved a crucial breakthrough! Recently, China and Germany officially signed a declaration of intent for a regionalized agreement on African swine fever, paving the way for the return of German pork and pork products to the Chinese market. Simultaneously, the two sides also signed a special protocol, granting access to the Chinese market for German poultry products for the first time, marking a significant milestone in Sino-German agricultural and food trade cooperation.
African swine fever led China to suspend all imports of German pork. Before that, China was Germany's largest pork export market outside the EU, consuming 284,000 tons of German pork in 2019, accounting for a quarter of Germany's total pork exports. After the market closed, products from Spain, the Netherlands, and other countries quickly filled the gap. The EU remains China's largest source of pork imports, but Germany's share has disappeared.
In these six years, the global pork trade landscape has also been quietly reshaped. China imposed anti-dumping duties on EU pork and by-products for a period of five years, with rates ranging from 4.9% to 19.8%. Since Russia was granted permission to export pork to China in April 2024, its export value surged by 60% within just one year, propelling it into the top ten pork suppliers to China. More importantly, China's own pork production capacity has fully recovered. In 2025, the number of breeding sows in China stabilized at over 43 million, the number of pigs slaughtered exceeded 600 million, and the slaughterhouse capacity utilization rate reached 32%. Industry authorities predict that in 2026, China's total pork imports will officially fall below the 2 million tonne mark, further reducing import dependence to below 3%. The Chinese market is no longer the helpless behemoth it once was.
The signing of this letter of intent is the result of multiple rounds of technical consultations between the two sides. The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture played a key role in promoting this process. During the German Chancellor's visit to China, the two countries also finalized a roadmap for the recognition of regionalized measures against African swine fever, providing a clear plan for the implementation of cooperation.
German Federal Minister of Agriculture Alois Reiner stated that this letter of intent is an important signal that China and Germany are moving towards a regionalized agreement on African swine fever. The core of the agreement is to achieve regionalized control of the epidemic. In the future, even if localized outbreaks of African swine fever occur in Germany, pork and pork products from non-affected areas can still be exported to China normally. This strengthens the epidemic prevention and control defense line and avoids the situation where a localized outbreak in one country leads to nationwide export disruptions, creating a fair and pragmatic trade environment for the German pig farming industry. Both sides have reached a consensus to expedite the finalization of technical details and promote the transformation of the letter of intent into a legally binding formal agreement.
It is worth mentioning that this cooperation is not just about restarting pork trade. China and Germany also signed a protocol on the export of German heat-treated poultry meat to China, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in the export of German poultry products to China. At the same time, China is also considering resuming the export of German chicken feet to China, thus comprehensively expanding the Chinese market access for German agricultural and food products.
For Germany, pork trade is a crucial pillar of its agricultural economy. The reopening of the Chinese market will not only alleviate the multiple pressures currently facing its meat industry, such as disease outbreaks and trade barriers, but also bring tangible economic benefits to farmers. For China, under strict disease control measures, the return of high-quality German pork will enrich the domestic meat market supply and provide consumers with more choices.
As Merz's first trip to China since taking office, this advancement in pork trade cooperation is not only another manifestation of pragmatic Sino-German economic and trade cooperation, but also lays the foundation for deeper collaboration in the agricultural sector between the two countries. With the finalization and implementation of subsequent technical details, German pork is expected to officially return to the Chinese market, making this six-year wait a win-win outcome.
Disclaimer: Some article materials are from the internet and the source has been indicated. Copyright belongs to the original author. The content is for readers' reference only. If it infringes on the rights of the original author, please leave a message to contact us for deletion!
African swine fever led China to suspend all imports of German pork. Before that, China was Germany's largest pork export market outside the EU, consuming 284,000 tons of German pork in 2019, accounting for a quarter of Germany's total pork exports. After the market closed, products from Spain, the Netherlands, and other countries quickly filled the gap. The EU remains China's largest source of pork imports, but Germany's share has disappeared.
In these six years, the global pork trade landscape has also been quietly reshaped. China imposed anti-dumping duties on EU pork and by-products for a period of five years, with rates ranging from 4.9% to 19.8%. Since Russia was granted permission to export pork to China in April 2024, its export value surged by 60% within just one year, propelling it into the top ten pork suppliers to China. More importantly, China's own pork production capacity has fully recovered. In 2025, the number of breeding sows in China stabilized at over 43 million, the number of pigs slaughtered exceeded 600 million, and the slaughterhouse capacity utilization rate reached 32%. Industry authorities predict that in 2026, China's total pork imports will officially fall below the 2 million tonne mark, further reducing import dependence to below 3%. The Chinese market is no longer the helpless behemoth it once was.
The signing of this letter of intent is the result of multiple rounds of technical consultations between the two sides. The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture played a key role in promoting this process. During the German Chancellor's visit to China, the two countries also finalized a roadmap for the recognition of regionalized measures against African swine fever, providing a clear plan for the implementation of cooperation.
German Federal Minister of Agriculture Alois Reiner stated that this letter of intent is an important signal that China and Germany are moving towards a regionalized agreement on African swine fever. The core of the agreement is to achieve regionalized control of the epidemic. In the future, even if localized outbreaks of African swine fever occur in Germany, pork and pork products from non-affected areas can still be exported to China normally. This strengthens the epidemic prevention and control defense line and avoids the situation where a localized outbreak in one country leads to nationwide export disruptions, creating a fair and pragmatic trade environment for the German pig farming industry. Both sides have reached a consensus to expedite the finalization of technical details and promote the transformation of the letter of intent into a legally binding formal agreement.
It is worth mentioning that this cooperation is not just about restarting pork trade. China and Germany also signed a protocol on the export of German heat-treated poultry meat to China, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in the export of German poultry products to China. At the same time, China is also considering resuming the export of German chicken feet to China, thus comprehensively expanding the Chinese market access for German agricultural and food products.
For Germany, pork trade is a crucial pillar of its agricultural economy. The reopening of the Chinese market will not only alleviate the multiple pressures currently facing its meat industry, such as disease outbreaks and trade barriers, but also bring tangible economic benefits to farmers. For China, under strict disease control measures, the return of high-quality German pork will enrich the domestic meat market supply and provide consumers with more choices.
As Merz's first trip to China since taking office, this advancement in pork trade cooperation is not only another manifestation of pragmatic Sino-German economic and trade cooperation, but also lays the foundation for deeper collaboration in the agricultural sector between the two countries. With the finalization and implementation of subsequent technical details, German pork is expected to officially return to the Chinese market, making this six-year wait a win-win outcome.
Disclaimer: Some article materials are from the internet and the source has been indicated. Copyright belongs to the original author. The content is for readers' reference only. If it infringes on the rights of the original author, please leave a message to contact us for deletion!