KUALA LUMPUR: China, the world's second-largest palm oil buyer, has allowed the import of red palm oil from Malaysia, the Southeast Asian nation said on Monday.

China implemented new standards starting March 1 that allowed unrestricted imports of premium palm oil from Malaysia, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) said in a statement.

Red palm oil is a type of the widely used edible oil that is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants.

Previously, Malaysian red palm oil was not allowed into China because of colour specifications there.

"The newly announced Chinese group standard allows the import of red palm oil without the barrier effective from 1 March 2021," said MPOB Director General Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir.

Malaysia is the world's second-biggest producer of palm oil after Indonesia.