A Chinese spokesman said on Thursday that China knows US concern
on beef export and hopes experts from the two sides can find a
solution as soon as possible.
China noticed that the World Organization for Animal Health
(OIE) has given the US a new "controlled risk" status for mad cow
disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), said Foreign
Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao in a press briefing.
"We always respect the decisions made by the OIE, but China has
its own national conditions," said the diplomat. "We believe that
the mad cow issue is very sensitive and expect the experts from the
two sides can discuss the issue and find a solution as soon as
possible."
He also said this second meeting of US-China Strategic Economic
Dialogue, which was concluded on Wednesday, has strengthened mutual
understanding and trust between the two countries.
The OIE, a Paris-based standards body, adopted a resolution on
Wednesday recommending that the US, Canada, Switzerland, Chile and
Brazil be recognized as having "controlled" risk status for mad cow
disease.
Shortly after the OIE ruling, US Agriculture Secretary Mike
Johanns urged US trading partners to reopen export markets to the
full spectrum of US cattle and beef products.
Found in dozens of countries, the fatal brain wasting disease is
spread by prions -- abnormally shaped proteins that originate as
regular components of neurological tissues in animals.
Health officials said the disease spreads through components of
cattle feed such as meat and bone meal that contain protein from
BSE-infected animals.
China, along with many other countries, began restricting beef
imports from the US after the deadly disease was discovered in the
country in December 2003.
(Xinhua News Agency May 25, 2007)
