Two Russian ships banned from China for a month after coronavirus detected on imported goods

Chinese officials have temporarily suspended two Russian vessels from importing goods into the country after Covid-19 was found on the packaging. China is conducting regular inspections on imports to curb the spread of the virus.

Authorities have banned fishing vessel Vladimir Starzhinsky LLC Roliz and transport ship Crystal Africa for four weeks. Both craft are registered in Russia, with the former from Kamchatka and the latter from Vladivostok.

“A nucleic acid test of outer packaging and samples of aquatic products imported from Russia came up positive for coronavirus,” reads a statement by Shandong’s Regional Epidemic Prevention and Control department. 

Shandong is a coastal province in the north east of the country, close to both South Korea and Japan. The region’s biggest port, in the city of Qingdao, is among the top 10 busiest ports in the world. On Friday, it detected its first asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 in over a month. According to reports, two port workers responsible for unloading frozen seafood tested positive during routine testing of employees. 

Last week, officials in China’s Jilin province detected coronavirus on a package of frozen squid imported from Russia. All those who came into contact with the seafood tested negative for the virus.

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With their long land border, Russia and China have a close economic bond. Bilateral trade between the nations is worth more than $100 billion a year, expected to rise to $200 billion by 2024. 

Despite China reporting the first case of Covid-19, figures in Russia now vastly outnumber those published by Beijing. According to official statistics, Russia has confirmed 1,143,571 cases of coronavirus, whereas China has just 90,442. 

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