Chinese officials last week signaled they planned to lift a 13-year ban on beef imports from the U.S., which drew praise from industry groups and agriculture officials.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated that China's Agriculture Ministry, following a review of the U.S. supply chain, "lifted its ban on U.S. beef," while Reuters noted that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told a New York audience that "we will soon have such imports."
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the decision "a critical first step to restore market access for U.S. beef and beef products."
"We look forward to prompt engagement by the relevant authorities for further technical discussions on the specific conditions that will allow trade to resume," Vilsack said in a statement.
China was among many countries to restrict U.S. beef imports in 2003 following a scare involving bovine spongiform encephalopathy — commonly known as mad cow disease. Sixteen nations retracted those limits since the beginning of 2015, including Brazil last month.
The USDA said that China is the fastest-growing beef market in the world and is expected to pass Japan as the world's second-largest beef importer.
Although individual U.S. meat producers were skeptical about how quickly talks would lead to market access, the North American Meat Institute vowed to work with agriculture and trade officials to meet what "has been a top priority ... for more than a decade."
“[China] is a market with a high demand for beef and our members are prepared to offer the highest quality beef in the world," NAMI President Barry Carpenter said in a statement.