China's top online retailers and US superstore Walmart are scrambling to satisfy the voracious appetites of Chinese consumers, excited about the first American beef to arrive in the world's most populous nation in 13 years.    

Beef imports to China were worth a staggering 2.6 billion US dollars last year, making the Asian powerhouse the world's fastest-growing overseas market for the meat, outstripping stagnant demand for more widely eaten pork.

Consumer excitement about the lifting of a 2003 ban due to a scare over mad cow disease looks set to help US beef grab a significant share of that demand, and their American sellers want to requite the trust.

"We think there are opportunities for agriculture, to lead the way in the future relationship of commerce between our two wonderful countries. I am convinced that when our Chinese friends taste the awesome, healthy and safe US beef, they’ll want more of it,” said US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Monday, during a ceremony marking the trade deal.

Meat sold online in China is typically around 10 percent cheaper than it is in stores, according to Euromonitor.

Womai.com, owned by food giant COFCO, said it had so far received more than 1,605 orders for beef from US meat giant Tyson by late Wednesday.

JD.com, one of the country's biggest online retailers, has started pre-sales of US beef ahead of the product's availability from mid-July. Imported meat accounted for more than 30 percent of JD.com's meat sales last year, with Australian beef the top category and the most searched-for item, the company said.

Both countries are positive about the economic influence of the trade deal. US officials said regaining access to the world's largest market is a huge step in the right direction.

"It's a key part in improving our relationship and reducing our trade deficit. Welcoming American beef to China is like a new beginning of this very important critical relationship between the two biggest economic powers in the world," said US ambassador to China Terry Branstad at the ceremony. "We were very proud to see this big step taken, and we are hopeful that's just the beginning of many more that will happen between our two countries. This achievement took a lot of hard work by a lot of people in both countries. "

Still, food safety fears linger, despite Beijing's stringent import requirements.

One Sam's Club shopper, surnamed Huang, was worried about more than beautiful marbling, "We should not only stick to foreign beef. They have food safety issues, like growth hormones and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in the US."

(With input from Reuters)