China has stopped importing fish and seafood from Japan in response to Japan’s decision to divert treated cooling water from Fukushima. The People’s Republic itself resorts to this practice.
With the import ban on all fishery products from Japan, existing restrictions in China are being tightened. The Chinese customs statement said the agency was concerned about the risk of radioactive contamination.
China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region also responded to the start of discharging treated cooling water from the Fukushima nuclear ruins into the Pacific. Hong Kong implemented an import ban on fishery products from a total of ten Japanese regions. Mainland China and Hong Kong are among the most important buyers of fish and seafood from Japan.
An “extremely selfish” action
The Chinese leadership again criticized Japan’s actions very sharply. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin described the discharge of the cooling water as a “matter of international nuclear safety”. This is “not a private matter for Japan”. The Japanese approach is “irresponsible” and “extremely selfish”.
There was also a lot of criticism on Chinese websites. Chinese censorship often allows critical comments about Japan – the relationship between the two countries has been strained for years. In Hong Kong, a small group of demonstrators called for the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
China also diverts cooling water
However, discharging filtered cooling water from nuclear power plants into the sea is not uncommon and is also common practice in China. It is unclear how much cooling water China itself discharges.
The International Atomic Energy Agency approved Japan’s action at Fukushima in July. The effects on people and the environment are “negligible”. In total, Japan wants to channel 1.3 million tons of cooling water from Fukushima into the Pacific over the next few decades.