April 27, 2021 — Long a proponent of sourcing more seafood from overseas, China’s central government has shifted its strategy in response to pressures related to COVID-19.
China continues to encourage seafood imports, which have long been seen as a means of dampening consumer price inflation. Recently, China reduced the tariff on frozen cod from 7 percent to 2 percent, while duties on ribbonfish, frozen crab, and frozen small shrimp were also reduced from 7 percent to 5 percent. The rate on live or fresh abalone imports dropped from 10 percent to 7 percent. The biggest cut was for “fertilized fish eggs,” which went from 12 to zero percent. Chinese import taxes for most seafood range from 5 percent to 7 percent, while VAT is charged at 9 percent.