China has begun sourcing food products away from Western markets in an attempt to limit the damage looming trade disruptions may cause.
“Slowly but surely, it seems like China’s finding a path that allows it to rely on international markets, allows it to rely on trade partners, but doesn't create insecurity,” Even Pay, an agriculture analyst at policy research consultancy firm Trivium China, told Bloomberg recently.
Regarding seafood specifically, this has played out in the form of China opening up seafood export access to several African nations, including Uganda, Madagascar, and Sierra Leone, among others.
The nation also recently reopened its doors to exports of Australian lobster after banning the product for four years.
“We're selling good volumes in the lead up to the Lunar New Year,” Marc Anderson, the CEO of Geraldton Fishermen’s Cooperative, which sells the Brolos brand of lobsters to China, told SeafoodSource. “Historically, Chinese New Year is one of the peak demand periods for Brolos lobster in China. The seasonal demand, combined with the positive reception we've received from existing and new customers since reconnecting with the Chinese live lobster market, has resulted in an increase in market prices and beach prices paid to our members on a range of grades.”
To meet seafood demand, the country has also begun looking toward its own distant-water fleet, which has started sending more of its catch back home for domestic consumption, instead of heavily relying on international markets as it has done traditionally.
All of these efforts come as threats of trade difficulties between the U.S. and China are reaching a boiling point.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated for his second presidential term on 20 January, has threatened 60 percent tariffs on all Chinese goods, though some experts don’t believe they will be that severe.
Regardless, there are several signs that trade relations between the two nations are likely to worsen.
Scott Bessent, Trump’s nominee for the role of treasury secretary, recently said that the Trump administration may push China harder to live up to its commitments from a trade deal Trump signed with China in 2020, compelling the latter nation to buy more American agricultural and seafood products.
Bessent said he might even ask for a “catch-up provision” that states China hadn’t kept its promises under the deal to buy American food and would attempt to force China to compensate the U.S. for the promised purchases it didn’t make.
While China tries to court other nations in response to the turbulence, it’s not clear whether seafood importers view China as an attractive market to target at the moment.
Peng Song, CEO of Beiyang Jiamei Seafood Co., which distributes a wide range of imported seafood across China under the Seamix Seafood brand, told SeafoodSource he feels demand for seafood in China is still there, “only consumers do not want to pay as much as before for the same seafood.”
A weak yuan is also working against seafood importers, Peng said.
“It is difficult to judge the market situation in 2025,” he said.
Tony Fan, a Beijing-based sales manager at Australian tuna exporting firm Stehr, agreed, saying it’s “very difficult to judge” if consumers will spend more on seafood this year compared to last year.
“China's economy and consumption have entered a relatively low period,” he told SeafoodSource.
Fan said some opportunities for seafood exporters lie in value-added products like ready-made meals, creating more choice for consumers who previously purchased seafood solely in wet markets.
