Hey kids! 🐾 Have you ever worried about bugs sneaking into your home? Well, countries worry about that too! Recently, China decided to stop some imports of lumber (that’s wood used for building things) and soybeans (a type of bean used in many foods) from the United States.
Why did China do this? 🤔 The Chinese customs officials found tiny forest pests (that’s a fancy word for bugs that can harm trees 🌳) in the lumber. Just like how we don’t want ants or termites in our houses, China doesn’t want these pests to harm their forests.
They also found something called “ergot” and seed treatment agents on soybeans from three U.S. companies. Ergot is a kind of fungus (a type of mold) that can be harmful if it gets into food. Seed treatment agents are chemicals used to protect seeds when they are planted, but they shouldn’t be on the soybeans when they are shipped for food.
China wants to keep their people safe and their food healthy. 🥦 So, they decided to pause these imports to make sure everything is okay. It’s like when your parents check the fruit at the store to make sure it’s fresh before buying it! 🍎
This decision helps protect Chinese consumers’ health and keeps their grain (like wheat and rice) safe from unwanted pests and chemicals.
International trade is like sharing between countries. Sometimes, they have to be careful to make sure what they’re sharing is safe and good quality. 😊
Reference(s):
China takes measures on U.S. lumber, soybean imports over safety fears
cgtn.com
