BEIJING (REUTERS) - China will ban imports of poultry and related products from countries where there are outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu, the agency that oversees safety of the country's imports said on Wednesday (Dec 21).

China has already banned poultry imports from more than 60 countries. The statement, sent by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to Reuters, comes as South Korea battles its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu.

About 20 million birds, nearly a quarter of South Korea's poultry stock, have been culled to control the outbreak.

The disease has spread to other parts of Asia, including Japan.