STAG NEWS BITES is produced for Australian Seafood Exporters, containing important updates and informal translations of news from Asian media sources. Any information provided as part of this trade news service is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and business objectives.

Note: If foreign articles are opened in Chrome, they can be automatically translated

Qingdao's covid-19 case update

The STAG is monitoring the recent outbreak of coronavirus in the city of Qingdao last week.

Recent news is that the city has tested nine million residents after finding 12 locally transmitted cases. Despite the recent outbreak, Qingdao city has not returned to lockdown. This is a result of massive and rapid testing ensuring residents’ safety. In addition, it has been reported that the minor outbreak was not from a result of community spread:

1. Wall Street Journal - Qingdao will test more than nine million residents for Covid-19 after the discovery of a dozen new cases linked to a local hospital—the country’s most significant virus scare in several months. Read more

2. Japan Times - An entire city of 9 million people were tested within days after a minor coronavirus outbreak, as the WHO warned that letting the pathogen run free to achieve herd immunity was “scientifically and ethically problematic.” Read more

3. CNN - Rapid response has been successful in keeping China's overall infection rate low since the country's initial outbreak was suppressed in March. That has enabled life to return to relative normality, with more than 600 million tourists traveling this month for Golden Week. Read more

4. BBC - Chinese authorities have a strategy of mass testing even when a new coronavirus cluster appears to be relatively minor. Read more

5. Qingdao Health Commission - Over 8 million residents have received tests - 9 confirmed positive cases, 4 million are all negative. Read more

Traceability systems chooser

There are many traceability technology options currently available on the market, knowing which one is right for your business needs and goals is the challenge.

In a bid to stream-line this important decision-making process, a project is currently underway to deliver an online traceability systems chooser for fishing and aquaculture producers.

The Traceability Systems Chooser will be an online, practical resource based on a self-diagnostic tool to help narrow down technology options. It will be designed to be easy to use and intuitive.

A Seafood Industry Reference Group is currently being established to provide input to the development of the Chooser as it progresses through the proto-type stage. The project is looking for people to provide input from an exporting perspective. Please click here if you would like to take part in this group.

This project has been funded by the 'Modernising Agricultural Trade – Protecting Australia’s Clean Green Brand’, Department of Agriculture, Water & Environment.

Market news

Live coronavirus found on packaging

Source: China Daily, 19th October 2020

The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention announced it had detected live novel coronavirus on the outer packaging of imported frozen cod in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province, but confirmed that the public was at low risk of infection from touching or eating cold-chain food.

To read more click here

Image: Zhang Jingang for China Daily

2020 WeChat revenue and usage statistics

Source: Business of Apps, July 2020

This article provides key WeChat user and revenue figures, including in-depth analysis, WeChat user growth and detailed descriptions on the role it plays in multiple facets of Chinese society.

To read more, click here

2020's Golden Week nicknamed "Marriage Week"

Source: China News, 7th October 2020

The 8-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday was known to many Chinese citizens as a "shrunken" long holiday because many people spent half their time attending the weddings of relatives and friends.

To read more click here

Golden Week shows consumption recovery

Source: China News, 14th October 2020

Golden Week has shown consumption recovery in China's main capital cities from retail, high-end department stores and various new experience stores that operated and offered promotional events to meet the demands of tourists and local customers during the holiday period.

To read more click here

Fishing subsidies could transform global seafood trade

Source: Seafood Source, 14th October 2020

The future of the Chinese distant-water fishing effort may likely be decided at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva this winter, where there has been a resumption in discussions on a deal on eliminating harmful fishing subsidies.

To read more click here

Image: Igor Grochev/Shutterstock

Wild Alaska Pollock marketing campaign hits huge ROI

Source: Seafood Source, 15th October 2020

The results of a study carried out by Cornell University Professor of Applied Economics and Management for Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) showed the non-profit’s efforts to spread the word about Alaska pollock have been wildly successful – for every dollar invested into the program over the past two years, USD 28 (EUR 24) has come back into the industry via the purchase of pollock fillets and surimi.

To read the full article, click here

Image: Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers

www.seafoodadvisory.com

STAG News Bites is a resource for Australian seafood exporters, currently funded by the Abalone Council Australia Ltd, Southern Rocklobster Ltd, Australian Abalone Growers Association, Western Rocklobster Council and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. We acknowledge past funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, through the Package Assisting Small Exporters.

This STAG publication contains informal translation of foreign and Asian media. Any information provided as part of this trade news service is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and business objectives.