China has asked Canada to suspend all meat exports after discovering bogus veterinary health certificates attached to a batch of pork, while Canadian federal police launched a criminal probe.
The forgery allegations against Frigo Royal Inc. come amid frosty relations between the two nations following Canada's arrest of a senior Chinese telecoms executive on a US warrant and China's detention of two Canadian nationals in apparent retaliation.
In days, the US and China could also seek to relaunch talks to settle a trade dispute that may be key to resolving the Canada-China row.
China's embassy in Ottawa said on Tuesday a customs investigation -- launched after the discovery of traces of a banned feed additive -- revealed that up to 188 forged documents had been provided to Chinese officials.
"In order to protect the safety of Chinese consumers, China has taken urgent preventive measures and requested the Canadian government to suspend the issuance of certificates for meat exported to China since June 25," it said on its website.
"We hope the Canadian side would attach great importance to this incident, complete the investigation as soon as possible and take effective measures to ensure the safety of food exported to China in a more responsible manner," it added.
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A Canadian government official confirmed that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had been called in to investigate.
Meanwhile, according to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has reached out to its Chinese counterpart for more information about the forgery allegations.
In a statement, she said the CFIA "has identified a problem with false export certificates that could affect exports of pork and beef products to China."
Meanwhile, Meng's lawyers on Monday urged Canada's justice minister to end Meng's extradition case and release her, saying it was in "Canada's national interest."
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