Vanuatu's biosecurity director Timothy Tumukon says he wants an illegal shipment of gravel from China gone by the weekend.
RNZ reports gravel is on board of a vessel anchored in Port Vila harbour.
It had been banned over concerns about foot-and-mouth-disease contamination.
The gravel was imported by a Chinese company contracted to upgrade the runway at Vanuatu's airport.
The contractor China Civil Engineering and Construction Company said it sourced the aggregate from China as crushing gravel locally would delay the project.
But Mr Tumukon said that was a poor excuse given he explicitly told the company in May that Vanuatu would only accept gravel sourced in the region.
"They are still in discussions with other parties but I have concluded my discussions with them I am waiting on a ministerial order being drafted right now by our attorney general and my minister is waiting to sign that," he said.
"So that I can issue it to them to say get this product and leave our shores."