China reopens market to Canadian pork

OTTAWA, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The Chinese government announced it was lifting its ban on Canadian pork products as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was en route to Beijing.

Harper was in Anchorage, Alaska, Tuesday night waiting for his plane to be refueled when officials in Ottawa were notified of the market reopening, the Globe and Mail reported Wednesday.

China banned all pork products from Canada in May after the H1N1 virus originally called swine flu was reported on an Alberta pig farm.

China represents about one-fifth of Canada's annual $2.7 billion in pork exports, the Canwest News Service reported. China is Canada's second biggest trading partner after the United States.

However, the ban on importing live pigs remained in place, a news release from Harper's office said.

Beijing's move was widely seen as a goodwill gesture after Harper strained relations by meeting with the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. Harper also declined to attend last summer's Olympics in Beijing.

Meanwhile, the main headline on Wednesday's state China Daily newspaper said "Ties with Canada to thaw," the National Post reported.