China’s suspension of imports of all aquatic products from Japan: International legal basis and future prospects

IF 3.7 2区社会学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Marine Policy Pub Date : 2025-08-16 DOI:10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106879

Jingjing Zhao

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

On August 24, 2023, Japan launched the plan to discharge nuclear wastewater into the sea that may last for 30 years. In order to protect the health and food safety of Chinese consumers, China decided to completely suspend the import of all Japanese aquatic products from the same day on. According to relevant rules of the WTO, Members have the right to take certain measures to restrict or prohibit international trade to protect human, animal or plant life or health; while also have the obligation to avoid trade measures being an obstacle to the international economic and trade order. In order to avoid and, if necessary, respond to any possible international trade disputes, it is vital to systematically analyze the international legal basis for China's trade measures, summarize relevant rules of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, draw lessons from key international practices such as the Korea-Radionuclides case, test the application of relevant provisions and principles, and explore future prospects for solving the trade and environmental challenges caused by the discharge of nuclear wastewater.

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中国暂停从日本进口所有水产品：国际法律依据和未来展望

2023年8月24日，日本启动了可能持续30年的核废水入海排放计划。为保障中国消费者的健康和食品安全，中方决定自同日起全面暂停进口所有日本水产品。根据世贸组织有关规则，各成员有权采取某些措施限制或禁止国际贸易，以保护人类、动物或植物的生命或健康；同时也有义务避免贸易措施成为国际经贸秩序的障碍。为避免并在必要时应对任何可能发生的国际贸易争端，有必要系统分析中国贸易措施的国际法律依据，总结《实施卫生与植物卫生措施协定》的相关规则，借鉴韩国-放射性核素案等重要国际实践，检验相关条款和原则的适用情况。并探讨解决核废水排放所带来的贸易和环境挑战的未来前景。

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来源期刊

Marine Policy Multiple-

CiteScore

7.60

自引率

13.20%

发文量

428

期刊介绍： Marine Policy is the leading journal of ocean policy studies. It offers researchers, analysts and policy makers a unique combination of analyses in the principal social science disciplines relevant to the formulation of marine policy. Major articles are contributed by specialists in marine affairs, including marine economists and marine resource managers, political scientists, marine scientists, international lawyers, geographers and anthropologists. Drawing on their expertise and research, the journal covers: international, regional and national marine policies; institutional arrangements for the management and regulation of marine activities, including fisheries and shipping; conflict resolution; marine pollution and environment; conservation and use of marine resources. Regular features of Marine Policy include research reports, conference reports and reports on current developments to keep readers up-to-date with the latest developments and research in ocean affairs.