Zespri and the Government are batting away suggestions that politics has played any role in increased scrutiny of New Zealand kiwifruit entering China.
The Chinese authorities have increased quarantine and inspection requirements after the fungus Neofabraea actinidiae was detected in four containers of Zespri fruit that arrived at the port of Tianjin.
The "warning notification" from China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (Aqsiq) follows talk that Beijing could be preparing reprisals against Kiwi primary industry exporters in response to a possible investigation by local officials into alleged Chinese steel dumping.
The Aqsiq notice referred to the fungus as a "rot pathogen" and said it was a "major disease" that occurred when kiwifruit was in storage.
It could infect other fruit including apples and persimmons causing "serious economic loss", Aqsiq said.