In the first six months of 2013, China imported 4,600 tonnes of salmon from UK and 4,000 tonnes from the Faroe Islands (overseas autonomous territory of Denmark), while Norway's salmon export to the country plummeted to 3,700 tonnes.

Data from the Norwegian Seafood Council shows that Norway exported 11,000 tonnes of salmon to China in 2010, accounting for 92% of the China's salmon imports. Now that figure has dropped dramatically to 29%.

Chinese-Norwegian relations deteriorated after Norway awarded the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. China cancelled the meeting with the Norwegian fisheries minister in October 2010, and imposed stricter rules for imports of Norwegian fresh salmon in February 2011.