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China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on Thursday that imports of beef from Argentina reached 50 percent of the set annual quota on Wednesday. Once Argentina's beef imports reach the full quota, an additional 55 percent tariff will take effect three days afterward.

China has had a country-specific quota since January 2026 for imported beef from countries including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, New Zealand, Australia and the US, with a 55 percent extra tariff mechanism on volumes above the quota.  

Argentina has been allocated a 511,000‑ton import quota under this 2026 safeguard measure, the second-largest quota after Brazil, according to the MOFCOM.

The safeguard measures on imported beef are designed to help the domestic industry weather current difficulties, rather than restrict normal trade. The country-specific quota system with additional tariffs on out-of-quota imports represents a moderate policy, the MOFCOM said.

The measure offers relief to the domestic industry and creates room for its development, while addressing the legitimate demand of trading partners and minimizing disruptions to regular trade, the MOFCOM said.

Li Guoxiang, a research fellow at the Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that in earlier years, large volumes of low‑priced overseas beef flooded the domestic market. Surging imported supplies created a market surplus and dragged down overall beef prices. Domestic cattle farmers were forced to cut selling prices and suffered shocks to their beef production and sales.

"The introduction of the beef safeguard measures balanced imported‑beef trade and the domestic cattle‑raising industry. Since the roll‑out of quota controls, the domestic beef market has remained stable and local cattle farming has gained effective protection. Meanwhile, the quota allocations grant overseas suppliers access to China's marketplace and enable coordinated development between foreign trade and domestic industries," Li said.

Chinese authorities announced on July 22 that China's imports of Brazilian beef had reached 80 percent of the quota.

Competent authorities including the MOFCOM and the customs will release notifications via official public channels once imported volumes hit 50 percent and 80 percent of each country's annual import‑quota limit, the MOFCOM said.

China imposed an additional 55 percent tariff on imported beef from Australia from June 20, after shipments from the country reached the annual quota under China's safeguard measures.