Malaysia submitting amended bird's nest certificates to China

BEIJING: Malaysia is in the process of submitting the amended copies of the Certificate of Origin and Health Certificate to the Chinese authorities to expedite the resumption of the bird's nest trade with China.

The certificates were also submitted together with signatory samples and seals of the authorised officers for verification purpose at the point of entry, the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing said in a statement on Thursday.

"The stringent requirements for the export of Malaysian bird's nest to China is not only to ensure only genuine bird's nest products which are safe for consumption are exported to China, but also at the same time to curb the illegal trading (smuggling) of bird's nest," it said.

Malaysia and China signed the protocol of entry of bird's nest products into China which entails examination, quarantine and hygiene on Sept 19, 2012.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar signed the protocol on behalf of Malaysia while China was represented by its Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Minister, Zhi Shuping.

With the signing of the protocol, Malaysian officials have been diligently monitoring the bird's nest industry for standards compliance.

Meanwhile, the embassy urged all parties in Malaysia, including entrepreneurs and exporters, not to be influenced by rumours from any individual or organisation that bird's nest products from other countries are being exported into China or that the resumption of the bird's nest trade with China can be procured through unofficial channels.

"In this connection, both the Malaysian and Chinese authorities are doing their best on the resumption of the bird's nest trade with China," it said.

The Department of Veterinary Services had forwarded to the Registration, Certification and Accreditation Administration of China (CNCA) 20 application forms for export and related documents received from the relevant establishments for the export of bird's nest products to China on Dec 13, 2012, it said.

Several matters were being clarified during the meeting between Malaysia and China on Dec 18, 2012 between Malaysia and China, the statement said.

"Malaysia is to provide further information as required by the Chinese authorities," it said.

Copies of the Veterinary Health Certificate, Certificate of Origin and Health Certificate (Ministry of Health) were resubmitted to The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) on Dec 20, 2012 upon request. - Bernama