By Ella Cao and Lewis Jackson
BEIJING (Reuters) -China has extended its investigation into beef imports by another two months, giving global suppliers a longer temporary reprieve from potential trade restrictions as the domestic industry battles a supply glut.
The investigation will now run until January 26, 2026, the commerce ministry said, citing “the complexity of the case”.
It is the second time the ministry has extended the probe since it launched the investigation last December, as slowing demand squeezes the world’s largest market for beef imports and consumption.
The probe does not target any specific country.
In August, China extended the review by three months. Any trade measures to curb imports would affect major suppliers such as Argentina, Australia and Brazil.
China imported a record 2.87 million metric tons of beef in 2024. Imports for January-October 2025 rose 3.6% year-on-year to 2.34 million tons.
(Reporting by Ella Cao and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Tom Hogue)
