Pork imports via the northern China port city of Tianjin have increased sharply this year, driven by the supply-demand gap in China's domestic market.

Over 396,000 tonnes of pork imports were made via Tianjin in the first 10 months, up 34.6 percent year on year, according to the city's customs.

Among the imports, 82.6 percent were imported from the European Union, Canada and Brazil.

The imports from the United States began to catch up in October, when it increased 2.4 times year on year to 3,698.4 tonnes, making the United States the third-largest pork exporter via Tianjin, only after the European Union and Brazil.

The customs forecast a continuous increase in the pork imports, as China's pork consumption usually picks up ahead of the New Year and the Chinese Lunar New year festivals, in January this year.