The French side expressed appreciation for China’s proposal in April 2023 for the full chain rapid coordination mechanism from French farms to Chinese dining tables.
Hungarian fresh cherries, Serbian blueberries, and more French pork products are rushing to the dining tables of Chinese consumers.
On the 9th, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice stating that, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations of China and the provisions of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture on the plant quarantine requirements for Hungarian fresh cherries imported into China, Hungarian fresh cherries that meet the relevant requirements will be allowed to be imported from today.
On the 8th, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice stating that, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations of China and the provisions of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Resources of the Republic of Serbia on plant quarantine requirements for the export of fresh blueberries from Serbia to China, Serbia’s fresh blueberries that meet relevant requirements will be allowed to be imported from today.
On the 7th, the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a joint statement on agricultural exchange and cooperation between China and France (hereinafter referred to as the “Joint Statement”), stating that China and France are willing to continue to strengthen agricultural and food cooperation. The French side expressed appreciation for China’s proposal of a full chain rapid coordination mechanism from French farms to Chinese dining tables in April 2023, and welcomed the regional cooperation agreement on highly pathogenic avian influenza to provide guarantees for market access and safety of poultry products, expand the list of pork products exported to China to pig organs, and sign a protocol on pig derived protein feed.
Zhao Yongsheng, Director of the French Economic Research Center at the University of International Business and Economics and PhD supervisor at the University of Paris Sorbonne, told First Financial reporters that China and France have previously strengthened cooperation in the geographical indication cooperation protocol, and the French side has also proposed a full chain rapid coordination mechanism from French farms to Chinese dining tables. From the perspective of trade structure, China’s increase in French agricultural product imports is conducive to better achieving trade balance between China and France.
(‘Source: Website of the General Administration of Customs’,)
Hungarian cherries and Serbian blueberries
On the 10th, the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a joint statement between China and Hungary on establishing an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.
Both sides believe that agricultural cooperation between China and Hungary has great potential, and their cooperation has made good progress under the agricultural cooperation mechanism of Central and Eastern European countries in China.
Both sides will fully leverage the role of the China Hungary Agricultural High level Working Group and other mechanisms, strengthen economic and trade investment cooperation between China Hungary agricultural enterprises, expand market access, promote cooperation in “small but beautiful” projects, and strengthen cooperation in areas such as animal health and joint research and development of deep processing technologies for agricultural products. Both parties agree to establish a working group between competent departments, strengthen technical exchanges on regional management of animal diseases, conduct institutional dialogue, and strive to sign a cooperation agreement on regional management of animal diseases as soon as possible.
It is reported that China and Hungary have signed three documents in the import and export of agricultural products, namely the Memorandum of Understanding between the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture on Cooperation in Animal and Plant Quarantine for Entry and Exit, the Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture on Quarantine and Hygiene Requirements for Chinese Imported Bovine Semen from Hungary, and the Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture on Plant Quarantine Requirements for Hungarian Fresh Cherries Exported to China.
In the announcement issued by the General Administration of Customs on the 9th regarding the quarantine requirements for imported Hungarian fresh cherry plants, strict pre export management was announced. For example, in orchard management, the announcement showed: “Regarding the grape winged armyworm, Hungary must monitor it from the cherry flowering period to the harvest period, using visual inspection and traps to monitor it in the registered orchard. The density of traps is at least 2 per hectare in the registered orchard, checked every two weeks. Once the grape winged armyworm is detected, effective prevention and control measures must be taken, and orchards that have not taken effective control measures will have their export qualification for the next export season cancelled.”
来源：同上
According to CCTV News, on the noon of May 8th local time, China announced six practical measures, including “China is willing to expand the import of high-quality agricultural products with Serbian characteristics, both sides have completed the procedures for exporting dried plums and blueberries to China, and lifted the ban on the highly pathogenic avian influenza epidemic in Serbia”, to support the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Serbia in the new era.
Cui Hongjian, Director of the European Union and Regional Development Research Center at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told First Financial reporters that since the launch of the China Central and Eastern European Countries Cooperation Mechanism in 2012, China’s demand or attention to Central and Eastern Europe has mainly been from the perspective of geoeconomic cooperation.
He explained, “Central and Eastern European countries are the emerging economies of the European single market. For Chinese companies and investors, there is greater room for growth with Central and Eastern European countries. Therefore, whether in trade, investment, or industrial cooperation, I believe that in the future, China will continue to increase its investment in Central and Eastern European countries. After all, in the EU’s own industrial layout, the potential of Central and Eastern European countries as emerging economies is also highly valued.”
French pork is also coming
On the 7th local time, the French Ministry of Agriculture stated in a statement: “The two market access agreements signed with the General Administration of Customs of China have made it possible for France’s new products to enter the Chinese market: pork offal, thanks to the revision of the pork export protocol, pig derived protein feed (which will also enter the Chinese market).”
On May 11, 2023, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice stating: “From now on, French pork that meets relevant requirements is allowed to be imported.”
According to French statistics, China is the largest pork export market in France. The French pork cross industry association Inaporc and Culture Viande said in a statement that “the agreement will have immediate effects on exports.”. According to the association’s statistics, the export value of French pork to China in 2023 was 260 million euros.
On the 7th, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice stating that, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations of China and the regulations of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty of the French Republic on the quarantine and hygiene requirements for imported pig derived protein feed from France to China, it is now allowed to import pig derived protein feed from France that meets the relevant requirements.
The General Administration of Customs said that the pig derived protein feed in this announcement includes meat meal, bone meal, meat and bone meal, blood meal, plasma protein meal, and blood products such as spray dried plasma powder and hemoglobin powder.
来源：同上
This time, China and France also issued a joint statement on agricultural exchanges and cooperation. Among them, both sides welcome the strengthening of cooperation through the signing of administrative agreements on grape cultivation and wine making industry cooperation, as well as the renewal of agreements on geographical indication cooperation.
At the same time, both sides are willing to continue actively exploring the complete lifting of the embargo on beef products without bovine spongiform encephalopathy while ensuring safety. The two countries will continue to engage in dialogue on market access for dehydrated alfalfa. Bilateral cooperation will also expand to the veterinary field and the hygiene supervision of imported food.
Zhao Yongsheng told reporters that the agricultural sector is a direct beneficiary of economic and trade cooperation between China and France. Considering the current trade structure between China and France, China has space to accommodate France’s agricultural exports, such as wine, butter, and a large number of agricultural and sideline products. After all, France is an agricultural powerhouse. He said.