China halts imports of koi fish from Japan

Swimming jewels: A breeder gestures to his Showa Koi during an annual koi competition in Hsinchu, Japan. — AFP

THE nation’s koi breeders lost their biggest export market after China did not renew the licences it had awarded to numerous farms there.

The last of the licences expired in October, and Chinese authorities did not offer an explanation over the non-renewals, according to media reports.