According to the Chinese Food Quality and Safety White Book released by the State Council, the European Union has fixed a timetable and will resume the import of cooked meat from China within this year.

The White Book says the cooperation mechanism that China has established with relevant countries on food safety promotes bilateral and multilateral cooperation on food safety and ensures the safety of imported and exported food. Meanwhile, the mechanism that China has set with EU has helped solve issues of concern by both sides.

EU has recently been China's largest trading partner, the largest technology exporter and the fourth largest direct investor. According to Li Changjiang, director of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China, since 2004, China has received three teams from the Food and Veterinary Office of EU who have come to inspect cooked meat products of China and found China's sanitation management system satisfactory.

The EU began banning the import of China's poultry meat in 2004 when bird flu fears grew.