US beef has finally returned to China this week for the first time since it was banned more than a decade ago.
Sam's Club, the major supermarket chain owned by Walmart, became the first place to sell US beef in China on Tuesday after shipments resumed, the Global Times reports.
The store's Shijingshan branch started selling US beef imports yesterday afternoon, offering free samples for customers to try out.
For now they're only offering short rib priced at RMB178 per 500 grams.
The beef came from a ranch in Nebraska, and arrived in China in vacuum-packaging within 30 hours via air transit.
On Friday, US ambassador to China Terry Branstad is expected to meet in Beijing for a ceremony to "formally mark the return of US beef to the Chinese market."
Back in 2014 we reported the ban would soon be lifted, and in September 2016 the announcement was officially made. But procurement amounts since then have remained low.
READ MORE: How China's Growing Appetite for Meat Affects Us All
China is the world's largest consumer of pork, but the demand for beef is rapidly increasing. The Middle Kingdom recently became the world's second largest beef importer.
US beef's return to China will help American farmers "vie for business that has been lost by rival Brazil," Reuters reports. While Brazil has been China's number one importer for the last few years, its industry has struggled following a tainted meat scandal and subsequent brief ban from China in March.
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