In response to China’s restriction on Japanese seafood imports following the leak of treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power station into the sea, Russia intends to enhance its exports of marine products to China.

According to Rosselkhoznadzor, a Russian agency that monitors food safety, 894 Russian enterprises are authorised to export seafood, making Russia one of China’s top suppliers of marine products.

Rosselkhoznadzor said it was aiming to expand the number of exporters in a statement late on Friday.

“The Chinese market in general is promising for Russian fish products. We hope to increase the number of certified Russian companies and ships, the volume of products and its range,” the Rosselkhoznadzor statement said.

Rosselkhoznadzor intends to wrap up negotiations with China on rules for the import of Russian marine products into the nation, the statement added. These actions are intended to support that endeavour.

China had already restricted the import of some Japanese foods, but on Thursday it imposed a complete ban because of worries about the “risk of radioactive contamination” following the release of the treated water.

Without offering specific numbers, the statement claimed that between January and August, more than half of Russian exports of aquatic products—which were primarily pollock, herring, flounder, sardine, cod, and crab—went to China.

According to the Russian fisheries agency, Russia exported 2.3 million metric tonnes of marine products worth approximately $6.1 billion last year, or roughly half of its total harvest. China, South Korea, and Japan were the main importers.

Japan claimed that criticism from China and Russia was unfounded by scientific data and that water pollution levels would be below those that the World Health Organisation deemed safe for drinking.

Despite the small numbers, Rosselkhoznadzor claimed it has intensified the screening of fish imports from Japan.

The agency added that the way the currents flow in the Russian Far East, where approximately 70% of the country’s seafood is caught, “would prevent contamination” of marine items taken on board Russian ships.

According to Interfax on Thursday, which cited the Pacific office of Rosselkhoznadzor, it has also tightened the radiological control of seafood obtained in Russian waters that are relatively close to Fukushima and would test chosen samples for radiation levels.

(Adapted from JapanTimes.co.jp)