The Bush administration on Tuesday welcomed Malaysia's decision to reopen its market to U.S. beef, ending a ban imposed in late 2003 after mad cow disease was found in the United States.

"We welcome this news from the Malaysian government. This is a good first step toward resuming normal U.S. beef trade with Malaysia," U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman said in a statement.

Malaysia is resuming imports of U.S. beef from cattle aged under 30 months, according to Portman's office.

"We now urge the Malaysian government to fully restore U.S. beef exports by further expansion of product coverage and exporter eligibility so that additional types of quality U.S. beef can be enjoyed by Malaysian consumers," Portman said.

It was reported that before the ban took effect, the United States exported 1.9 million dollars worth of beef and beef products to Malaysia in 2003.

Source: Xinhua