Overseas
China imported around 2.31 million tonnes of seafood worth $10.1 billion in the first half of 2026. Competition remains intense, but some demand segments are placing greater emphasis on consistent quality, origin, traceability, convenience and a recognisable product identity. These higher-value segments offer the most credible opening for the Italian seafood industry.
China remains, first and foremost, a production powerhouse. In 2025, it produced 76.57 million tonnes of aquatic products, up 4.1% year on year, including 63.24 million tonnes from aquaculture.
Its imports should therefore not be interpreted simply as a response to insufficient domestic supply. They also complement the market with different species, origins, formats and service levels for increasingly segmented consumers and sales channels.
It is precisely this segmentation, rather than import volumes alone, that makes China increasingly relevant to Italian companies.
China’s seafood market is becoming more selective
A VASEP analysis of the Chinese seafood market points to growing attention to freshness, provenance, traceability, consistent quality, sustainability and certification, particularly in the mid-to-premium segments.
Consumption formats are changing as well. Live and fresh seafood remains important, especially in southern China, but frozen, semi-processed, cleaned and portioned products, marinated formats and ready-to-eat offerings are gaining ground.
Convenience matters particularly to younger consumers. At the same time, e-commerce, digital platforms and new distribution models are changing how seafood is presented, explained and purchased.
This evolution is already visible in salmon, where e-commerce and modern distribution are reshaping consumption in China. In the first half of 2026, China became the second-largest destination for Norwegian seafood exports, behind Poland and ahead of the United States.
Price remains decisive in mass-market categories
Growth in higher-value segments does not mean that the Chinese market has become any less price-sensitive.
Shrimp, pangasius and many other commodity categories continue to move through high-volume international trade, where production costs, scale, logistics and continuity of supply remain decisive. In these categories, countries such as Ecuador, India and Vietnam operate production systems that Italian suppliers would struggle to match.
The overall figures for the first half of 2026 also require caution. Import volumes increased by 6%, while value rose by just 0.3%. This difference does not automatically indicate a price trend, because the product mix also changes, but it confirms the intensity of competitive pressure.
VASEP also points to thinner margins, stronger competition and continued caution in consumer spending.
Italy’s commercial opportunity therefore does not come from trying to compete in every segment. It comes from selecting those in which price is not the only purchasing criterion.
Where the Italian seafood industry can compete
This is where the word “excellence” must be used with precision.
Italian origin alone does not automatically create a competitive advantage in China. The value must be visible in the product through consistent quality, processing expertise, food safety, traceability, provenance, presentation, service and the ability to meet the requirements of each distribution channel.
These are characteristics on which the broader Italian food industry has built a significant part of its international presence.
The seafood sector also has strong expertise in processing and adding value to raw materials: canned and semi-preserved seafood, smoked and marinated products, prepared and portioned formats, regional specialities and premium lines.
This does not mean that these categories are guaranteed a market in China. It means that the evolution of Chinese demand makes a differentiation strategy more credible than one based solely on volume.
An initial trade figure provides a concrete indication.
In the first six months of 2026, China imported $73.782 million worth of tuna, compared with $73.133 million in the same period of 2025, an increase of 0.9%.
Over the same period, imports from Italy rose from $482,000 to $1.081 million, an increase of 124.3%.
The scale remains limited: Italy accounted for around 1.5% of the value of the Chinese tuna imports covered by the statistics. Describing this as a boom would therefore be misleading.
The comparison is nevertheless significant. While China’s overall tuna import market grew by less than 1%, the value of imports from Italy more than doubled.
The available statistics do not identify which specific product types drove this increase. Without additional data, it would therefore be incorrect to attribute it to bluefin tuna, fresh or chilled products, frozen tuna or prepared products.
In China, Made in Italy must prove its value
This is the decisive point.
Made in Italy becomes a commercial advantage only when origin corresponds to a difference that importers can recognise and consumers are willing to pay for.
The Italian flag on the packaging is not enough. Suppliers need repeatable quality, food safety, traceability, distinctive processing, appropriate packaging, continuity of supply and a clear understanding of distribution channels.
Market access also depends on compliance with China’s sanitary import procedures, including the requirements applying to eligible establishments and product categories.
China has not suddenly become an easy market for Italian seafood. It is, however, becoming a market in which some characteristics traditionally associated with Italian production are gaining greater commercial relevance.
The 124.3% increase recorded for Italian tuna in the first half of 2026 remains small in absolute terms and does not establish a consolidated trend. It does, however, provide an initial tangible signal.
The real opportunity for the Italian seafood industry is not to sell generically “more fish” to China. It is to identify the products that can be recognised and rewarded for the quality, processing expertise and identity that distinguish them from mass-market supply.
That is where Italian excellence can find a market.
Photo credit: Ittica Sud
