China's stern rules on preventing the spread of Zika virus via exports from the United States is causing worry and confusion among American exporters as they fear that required fumigation of products may cause delays.
According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. exporters are getting worried about the extra cost and additional delay that the required fumigation of containers bound for China would cause.
JOC.com echoed the report, saying that many exporters are still confused about the implications of the new regulations even after the Middle Kingdom provided more details on what they are required to do to prevent such nuisances.
However, there are still those who remain positive that the rules would not make a dent on their operations which they expect to continue smoothly.
"Is it annoying, and a headache, yes, but it's not something that in my opinion is going to stop business," Calaway Trading Inc. Vice President of Business Development Blaine Calaway told JOC.
Calaway Trading is an Ellensberg-based shipper that handles transportation of 9,500 to 10,000 containers of hay and grain products to China.
Meanwhile, Bruce Abbe, executive director of the Midwest Shippers Association of the Bloomington, Minnesota trade group believes that the shippers and exporters are just adjusting to the new norm.
"It's still a bit of a learning curve going on. The [main] reaction that I have heard is they would like some more clarity on this," he said, referring to statements from over 50 shippers that he represents.
Fear of Zika virus struck China after the country recorded its first case in February as reported by state-run media Xinhua News Agency.
According to the report, the first patient who was confirmed to have caught the virus was a 34-year-old male from Ganxian County in the province of Jiangxi.
The patient experienced symptoms such as fever, headache, and dizziness on Jan. 28 per the report after he traveled to Venezuela.