November 2, 2020 — The current COVID-related fall in demand for seafood in China could lead to a shake-out of the Chinese seafood distribution scene in favor of large, state-owned trading firms, according to Didier Boon, the CEO of Beijing-based trading firm East China Seas.
Boon’s company, which imports Latin American seafood into China and ships product from China to Western markets, cannot compete with large Chinese companies that lean on their size and political connections to obtain advantages in the marketplace, Boon said. And those advantages have been exacerbated during a tightening in Chinese Customs’ actions in inspecting imported seafood.