East Asia and the Pacific

On October 25, 2023, China notified the National Food Safety Standard for Food Additive L- Polydextrose to the World Trade Organization (WTO) under G/SPS/N/CHN/1290.

Korea has not finalized the May 2021 revisions of its Living Modified Organism (LMO) Act, which defines Korea’s regulatory policies for products developed through innovative technologies including genome editing.

Australia has been a world powerhouse of high-quality wool production and exports for over 150 years. The industry now exports around 323,000 metric tons (MT) of wool valued at about US$2.3 billion - more than any other wool exporter.

Private exporters reported to USDA the following sales activity: 372,000 MT of soft red winter wheat for delivery to China during the 2023/2024 marketing year; and 136,000 MT of soybeans for delivery to China during the 2023/2024 marketing year.

Private exporters reported to USDA sales of 198,000 metric tons of soft red winter wheat for delivery to China during the 2023/2024 marketing year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Alexis Taylor, will lead the agribusiness trade mission to Seoul, South Korea on March 25 - 28, 2024. USDA is currently inviting U.S. exporters who wish to participate in this trade mission to submit their application.