Which is more important: free trade or democracy? These two ideals are often lumped together as if they were a package deal. But with the World Trade Organization, it may be more of an “either-or” choice. The latest example of this is being played out in Asia right now. China has threatened to take Japan before the WTO for banning imports of Chinese spinach found to contain 180 times the permitted level of pesticides. China says this is unfair trade and could theoretically find a sympathetic ear before the WTO.<\/p>\n
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China on Friday called Japan’s strict regulations on agricultural chemical residue discriminatory and against WTO rules, threatening to file a complaint with the trade body if Japan bans the import of Chinese frozen spinach.<\/p>\n
If Japan implements an import ban on frozen spinach, China will take necessary steps within the framework of the World Trade Organization, said Qin Zhenkui, chief of the department of export and import foods at the General Administration of Quality Supervision and Inspection [in Beijing].<\/p>\n
In July, Japan’s agriculture ministry said that frozen spinach imported from China contained higher-than-permitted levels of pesticide residue.
\nThe spinach, imported in March by a trading company in Kobe, was found to contain 1.8 ppm of chlorpyrifos \u2014 180 times higher than permitted under Japan’s Food Sanitation Law, said the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry.<\/p>\nQin said the 0.01 ppm permitted under Japanese law is not appropriate internationally because it is far below the 0.05 ppm set by Western countries.<\/p>\n
Jiang Fan, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, said Japan’s quarantine standards exceed global standards and constitute discrimination against Chinese products.<\/p>\n
[from Kyodo news service, via the Japan Times]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Which is more important: free trade or democracy? These two ideals are often lumped together as if they were a package deal. But with the World Trade Organization, it may be more of an “either-or” choice. The latest example of this is being played out in Asia right now. China has threatened to take Japan… Continue reading Buy Our Pesticide Spinach, Or Else<\/span>