Participants visit the French pavilion at the 4th China International Consumer Products Expo, Asia's largest premium consumer products expo, in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province on April 15, 2024. France will continue to highlight its presence at this year's expo, according to Business France. Photo: Qi Xijia/GT
The Chinese and French heads of state have reaffirmed the vital role of the agricultural sector in the bilateral relationship, vowing that both countries will strengthen cooperation in various areas, including boosting certain French agricultural exports to China.
On Monday, the two countries issued a joint statement on agricultural exchanges and cooperation, covering a wide range of areas from agricultural education and scientific and technological innovation to exports.
Notably, the two countries pledged to continue to actively explore ways to completely lift the export ban on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-free beef products on the basis of ensuring safety, according to the joint statement.
BSE is a transmissible and fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects cattle.
The joint statement also said that the two countries will work to expand French pork exports to China, and provide guarantees for market access and safety of poultry products. They will also work to expand cooperation in the wine industry, including jointly improving the development level of grapes and wine-making.
The agriculture and food industry has become an increasingly important highlight of China-France cooperation in recent years, which also focuses on aviation, aerospace, nuclear energy and green development.
China has gradually expanded market access for a growing number of French agricultural produce.
As of mid-2023, more than 200 types of French agricultural and food products, including aquatic products, dairy products, meat products, breeding livestock, breeding poultry, and fruits, were allowed to be exported to China, according to the Xinhua News Agency. In total, nearly 7,000 agricultural and food product production companies from France are currently registered in China.
Within the EU, France is the biggest source of agricultural imports for China, and is China's second largest partner in agricultural trading, according to China's General Administration of Customs.
中法两国在周一发布了一份关于农业交流与合作的联合声明，承诺在多个领域加强合作，包括增加法国部分农产品对华出口。声明中特别提到，两国将继续积极探索在确保安全的基础上完全解除疯牛病（BSE）免疫的牛肉产品出口禁令。
此次声明标志着中法两国在农业领域合作进一步加深。近年来，农业和食品行业已成为中法合作的重要亮点之一。中方逐渐扩大了对法国越来越多农产品的市场准入。据新华社报道，截至2023年中期，中国允许近200种法国农产品出口到中国，其中包括水产品、乳制品、肉制品、养殖牲畜、家禽、水果等。目前，中国已注册了近7000家法国农产品生产公司。法国在欧盟内是中国农产品进口的主要来源，也是中国在农业贸易中的第二大贸易伙伴。
中国和法国将进一步扩大农产品出口，尤其是牛肉和猪肉。此外，两国还将加强葡萄酒产业合作，提高葡萄和酿酒水平。
