China has suspended the import of pork products from relevant enterprises and required the Canadian side to conduct investigations, the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa confirmed on Wednesday in a statement.

In order to protect the safety of Chinese consumers, China has taken urgent preventive measures and requested the Canadian government suspend the issuance of certificates for meat exported to China starting June 25.

The decision came immediately after the Chinese Customs authorities found ractopamine residues in a batch of pork products exported from Canada to China, according to the statement.

"The subsequent investigation revealed that the official veterinary health certificates attached to the batch of pork exported to China were counterfeit and the number of those forgery certificates was up to 188. The Canadian side believes that this incident [constitutes] criminal offense," the statement said. 

"We hope the Canadian side would attach great importance to this incident, complete the investigation as soon as possible and take effective measures to ensure the safety of food exported to China in a more responsible manner."

Also on Wednesday, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Geng Shuang reiterated that the Chinese government's duty is to protect the safety of Chinese consumers, adding that relevant authorities have taken action in accordance with the law.