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American Hardwood Export Council

AHEC Trade Alert: Mosquito Eradication Certificate Requirement for China

As of August 3, 2016, China has added the U.S. to its list of “Zika Infected Countries” and will now require a “Mosquito Eradication Certificate” for all containers arriving from the U.S.

AHEC has been in contact with APHIS (**see below) but it appears that since this is a “health issue” (and pertains to all shipping containers, not just timber/agricultural products) and not a phyto-sanitary issue, APHIS is seeking information from the U.S. embassy in Beijing, and Chinese officials, and we will get back to you once we get a handle on the exact requirements.

On the positive side, it appears that Chinese customs will fumigate all containers without a certificate at the port of entry, at a cost of approximately 3RMB (about 45 cents) per ton of cargo—we will also try and verify this information as quickly as possible.

Please contact Mike Snow, AHEC Executive Director, directly with any questions or concerns.

T: 703-435-2900 (office)   202-492-0540 (mobile)

**Email from APHIS, USDA – August 8, 2016 – to AHEC Executive Director, Mike Snow

“China requires treatment of all containers coming from Zika infested countries.  Now that Florida has an active zone, they are probably requiring the US to meet the requirement now.  It wouldn’t be just wood; any container would be expected to meet the requirement.

APHIS has not received notification, nor would we.  The Zika virus is a health issue, so the concern is not phytosanitary.

I’ve been sending this information to China personnel to try and learn more.  We’ll have to make inquiries with AQSIQ, because it is a health issue.  Currently, the only information we have is the translation of the March notice (see below) and a site to access the full notification in Chinese. Until we get confirmation, we can’t be sure only Florida is listed.  After all there have been cases in New York and New Jersey.  China may take a more stringent route until they are satisfied that we are in control. Countries are far more exclusive when human and animal diseases are the issue.

The ZIKA Notice contains requirements that are relevant to all crewmembers and vessels:

  1. People travelling from ZIKA affected countries or areas, if having symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle and joint pain or rash, should declare verbally to the inspection and quarantine authority when entering the Chinese border. Where a person suffers from such symptoms after entering the border, he or she should go to a doctor immediately and report the travel history to the doctor;
  2. People travelling from affected countries or areas should cooperate with the inspection and quarantine authority in performing temperature detection, medical inspection and epidemiological investigation;
  3. Transportation vehicles as well as containers from ZIKA affected countries or areas shall have conducted effective mosquito eradication measures. Where there is no proof of such measures, immediate mosquito eradication will need to be performed under the supervision of the inspection and quarantine authority; and
  4. Strict quarantine and inspection measures on transportation vehicles, cargo, container, luggage and postal parcels are expected to be taken.