BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China reported Tuesday an expansion of imported meat in the first 11 months to meet the strong demands of the national market, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Photo: VCG

From January to November, the total amount of meat imports reached 5.49 million tonnes, climbing 42 percent year on year, the GAC said.

In November alone, the country imported 644,000 tonnes of meat, surging 82 percent from the same period last year, while pork imports increased 151.2 percent year on year to stand at 230,000 tonnes.

To ensure the safety of imported meat, Chinese authorities stepped up to enhance the supervision and refuse the entry of unqualified products.

China vows to further encourage meat imports, allowing the total to potentially exceed 6 million tonnes this year, according to the Ministry of Commerce.