Tengzhou, October 15 — Chinese chicken exports reached $2.6 billion in value last year according to customs data, marking a shift from net importer to net exporter status for the country. This transformation is driven by companies like Wintop Food Group in Tengzhou, Shandong province, which processes 60 million chickens annually and exports breasts, nuggets, meatballs, and dumplings to over 20 countries. Exports accounted for half of Wintop’s profits last year and are funding 33 acres of facility expansion.
General Manager Dang Yangyang, 44, told Reuters in August 2026 that international clients once distrusted Chinese meat quality but now choose it due to pricing advantages. Chinese chicken is $1,000 cheaper per ton than Brazilian and Thai competitors, according to the same source.
The trend reflects broader strategic shifts in China’s agriculture sector, where changing domestic diets and government emphasis on food security have spurred technological investment and overcapacity, leading to excess production being exported abroad. The surge in low-cost Chinese protein is drawing scrutiny from Western producers and regulators, echoing past trade frictions in steel, solar panels, and electric vehicles.
While Chinese poultry has so far avoided anti-dumping actions, the European Commission launched an anti-dumping probe into Peking duck imports in July 2026 and imposed duties of 41% to 67% on Chinese pea protein last month. Agriculture and food remain among the few sectors where China runs a trade deficit, though the gap—just over $100 billion last year—is shrinking.
China became the world’s largest seafood exporter and last year achieved net exporter status in chicken. Dairy exports are projected to reach $600 million this year, doubling in three years. Analyst Michael Boddington, a Beijing-based agribusiness consultant, described the shift as having a ‘disruptive’ effect on global meat markets, noting that traditional flows from Europe and the Americas to Asia are now being challenged by cheaper Chinese alternatives.
China’s agriculture and commerce ministries did not respond to Reuters inquiries about the export surge. The development marks a significant shift in global protein trade dynamics, with implications for producers in Europe, Thailand, and Brazil facing new price competition.
