According to China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule on importation of apples from China has come into effect recently, marking the U.S. officially opens market for Chinese apples.

Apple is China's No.1 fruit. Its acreage and production account for 40 percent and 33 percent respectively of the global total, ranking first in the world. The U.S. is the world's most important fruit market. However, for a long time, Chinese apples had been barred from the U.S. market. In 1998, China formally submitted its apple export application to the U.S. In the following 17 years, the two sides has held consultation on the phytosanitary requirements.

It is said that the U.S. proposed more than 800 kinds of harmful organisms on the apples. AQSIQ has made scientific analysis by establishing expert panels in different areas including disease, insect, and safety and risk management. After analyzing over 1,000 scientific papers, China presented its rebuttal, which made the U.S. reduce the number of harmful organisms to 21.

The U.S. released the rule on the phytosanitary requirements for Chinese apple to be imported to the U.S. on April 26, 2015. After one month's public notice, the rule came into effect on May 26.

This article was edited and translated from 中国苹果获准出口美国, source: People's Daily Overseas Edition.