China announced the imposition on Wednesday, from 1is January and for three years, additional customs duties of 55% on beef imports from Brazil, Australia and the United States, above a certain quota.
The price of beef in China has been trending downward in recent years, with analysts pointing to a supply glut and a lack of demand as the world’s second-largest economy has slowed.
With the import boom, China represents an extremely important market for countries like Brazil, Argentina and Australia.
According to Beijing’s investigation, beef imports have harmed China’s domestic industry, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. The survey covered fresh, frozen, bone-in and boneless beef.
The additional customs duties will be applied for three years, until December 31, 2028. The Ministry of Commerce described them as “safeguard measures”, specifying that they would be gradually relaxed.
Annual import quotas have been allocated to countries, and beef shipments shipped to China will be subject to the additional 55% levy if imports exceed this volume. Quotas will increase slightly each year.
For 2026, Brazil will have an import quota of 1.1 million tonnes, Argentina half a million tonnes, Australia 200,000 tonnes and the United States 164,000 tonnes.
The Department of Commerce also said it was suspending part of the beef free trade deal with Australia.
