China is soon expected to ease its regulations on pickled foods that have long worked against imports of South Korea's traditional side dish kimchi, officials said Thursday.
  

China's national council on health and family planning has posted an administrative notice that will significantly ease inspection standards for pickled foods in terms of the allowed level of coliform bacteria.
  

While coliform bacteria count often serves as an indicator of sanitary quality of foods and water, fermented foods like kimchi usually show high numbers.
  

China has applied the same rules for pickled foods to kimchi, making them in effect a trade barrier to kimchi imports from South Korea. Pickled foods, unlike kimchi and other fermented foods, are often boiled and thus sterile.
  

South Korea, which has no such restrictions, imports more than $100 million worth of kimchi from China every year.
  

Beijing's move follows repeated requests from Seoul. The two countries agreed at their summit in Seoul in July last year that they would expand cooperation and exchanges in the food sector and review regulatory standards.
  

China has also notified the World Trade Organization of its move to ease its rules on pickled foods, according to officials from South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
  

The two countries on Wednesday initialed their bilateral free trade agreement, under which South Korea agreed to reduce its import tariffs on kimchi imports from China. They hope to formally sign the pact before the end of June. (Yonhap)