China Alarmed by Imported Pests

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 ◆ China Alarmed by Imported Pests

China will intensify its import inspections to guard against the introduction of alien pests, the General Administration of Quality Supervision and Quarantine (GAQSQ) has warned.

It made the declaration after the recent alarming discoveries in Hubei, Guangdong and Beijing of insect pests like longicorns, bark beetles and white ants in imported wood packaging from the European Union (EU).

After evaluating the risks, experts said that most pests found in EU wood packaging were foreign to China and could destroy forests and cause great economic losses.

Statistics from the GAQSQ showed that pests have been found in over 70 percent logs imported from 36 countries or regions in recent years, and from 1996 a total of 252 imported pests have been spotted, of which 174 could wreak havoc on forests.

The GAQSQ said that China would intensify inspections of imported wood to protect domestic forest resources and the environment, in the interests of its sustainable development.

The world's forest coverage is 30 percent, in contrast with China's 16.55 percent, and the world's forest area per capita is 0.6 hectares, much higher than China's 0.11 hectares per capita.