Diverse beef options at the Beijing Burger Festival

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In response to recent US duties on Chinese imports, beef is one of several items China plans to slap tariffs on. Many believe that the move will have little impact on the food industry in China, as its beef market is diverse and solid.

Burgers that make people keep eating. /CGTN Photo

Home Plate Barbecue is one of very few eateries at the Beijing Burger Festival that offers American beef.

Chen Zheng, Home Plate’s marketing manager, said the tenderness of US beef helps them control the food quality, even though the cost is high due in large part to China-US trade frictions.

“We have close relations with the US Meat Export Federation. If the tariffs go higher, the federation will negotiate with American farmers to sell their meat at a lower price,” said Chen.

Keith Bouchard bought a burger as soon as he arrived at the Galaxy SOHO. “The scale of the festival is larger than I expected, and the beef-burger is mouthwatering,” Bouchard said. /CGTN Photo

China’s new tariffs on US beef came in response to Trump slapping additional duties on Chinese imports. This complicated the market even more.

Demand for American beef had grown since China resumed imports of it, following a more than decade-long ban over mad cow disease concerns. But since the ban, Australian beef has become a staple at Chinese restaurants and stores.

Common Burger is one Beijing restaurant that uses Australian beef.

"We found that using Australian beef can be the most consistent of all," said Simone Thompson, the restaurant’s food operation director. Thompson said Australian beef is more reliable than American.

Alexandre Froger wears a burger-painted scarf and a burger-shaped woolen hat to celebrate the festival. /CGTN Photo

But customers like having a choice. Some consumers said they had flexible tastes, and some believed there was no absolute winner in the market.

(Cover photo: Qian (left) bought fries for husband George (right) and son Max (center), saying that the festival has provided a chance for us to enjoy family time. /CGTN Photo)