BEIJING — China began to import meat products from 16 more countries in 2019 to increase pork import and diversify import sources, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

In the first 11 months, China's total meat imports reached 5.49 million metric tons, up 42 percent year-on-year, data from the GAC showed.

In November alone, the country imported 644,000 tons of meat, surging 82 percent from the same period last year.

To ensure the safety of imports, Chinese customs have stepped up checks and rectifications on the transport, storage and sales of agricultural products.

From January to November, the customs investigated 783 smuggling cases of agricultural products involving a total value of 32.3 billion yuan (about $4.63 billion).