Shanghai, China-based China Eastern Air Logistics has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that ensures the Chinese market access to Australian products like rock lobster.
The company celebrated its new South Australian product portfolio at an event in Adelaide City, Australia, on 11 April, where its subsidiary China Eastern Airlines Cold Chain and Hendon, South Australia-based seafood brand Ferguson Australia signed an MOU which the Government of South Australia called a “major breakthrough in the reentry of Southern Rock Lobster into the China market.”
“It’s a great pleasure for Ferguson Australia to be part of this significant MOU signing, marking the beginning of a strong and exciting working relationship with China Eastern and its cold chain division,” Ferguson Australia Managing Director Andrew Ferguson said. “By aligning our supply chain strengths, Ferguson Australia and China Eastern Cold Chain will unlock greater market potential. Exporting highly perishable products like seafood comes with daily challenges, but quality relies on a securely managed cold chain – something that many importers are unable to guarantee.”
A four-year ban on the importation of rock lobster began in November 2020, when the Chinese Ministry of Commerce stopped imports in response to then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s suggestion that China’s alleged role in the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic should be studied.
Those trade impediments were lifted in December 2024, and the South Australian seafood sector was supported by the South Australian Government’s Seafood Export Growth Program in its attempts to reengage with the Chinese market.
The MOU signed by China Eastern Airlines Cold Chain and Ferguson Australia cements this reengagement, enabling the sale of lobster-themed gift boxes to China Eastern Airlines’ network of approximately 100,000 top tier club members.
In its own release about the news, China Eastern Air Logistics said that by drawing on the shared networks and power of its subsidiaries, it can deliver Australian products to 80 percent of China’s consumer population within 12 hours of clearing customs.
Additionally, China Eastern Air Logistics will partner with salmon-processing plants and live seafood holding facilities in Chengdu, Ningbo, Ezhou, and elsewhere to deliver semi-processed Australian seafood to Chinese retailers within 48 hours.
As the salmon market in China grows and the Norwegian Seafood Council continues its push into China, other airlines have started to provide air-freighting of seafood to the nation. In July 2024, Capital Airlines added freight service between Nanchang and Oslo to bring e-commerce deliveries to Norway and Norwegian salmon to China.
