05.11.2016 / Deputy Minister Vasil Grudev participates in a meeting of the ministers of agriculture from the 16+1 Initiative in China
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Vasil Grudev participated in a meeting of the ministers of agriculture from the 16 + 1 initiative, which took place in the city of Kunming, Yunnan province of the People’s Republic of China. The event was held within the Eleventh Forum on Agro-Trade and Economic Cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
“In the last year and four months since its inception, the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European Countries has been actively working to promote the further development of trade in agricultural and food products between China and the CEE countries and has achieved a number of important results”, stated the Deputy Minister Vasil Grudev. He added that the Association was actively working to support the opening of the national pavilions of the 16 CEE countries in China’s free trade zones, where their agricultural and food products would be presented. Two permanent pavilions for the presentation of Bulgarian products in the free trade zones of Hangzhou and Shanghai have already been opened, and this week, with the help of the Association and the Republic of Macedonia, it already has its own pavilion in Shanghai.
Following the forum, Deputy Minister Grudev met with Mr. Qu Dongyu, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China. “I’m glad we can count on good cooperation. Due to your expert potential and our joint efforts, we were able to complete the procedures for the import of Bulgarian dairy products to China”. During the meeting, they discussed the activities of APACCCEEC and the possibilities for deepening relations between the two countries. The proof of this is the successful cooperation and increasing the opportunities for trade between the two countries, added Deputy Minister Grudev.
Qu Donyu stated that he appreciates Bulgaria’s activity and leadership with regard to the development of the16+1. He stressed that cooperation not only at government level but also at trade relations; the market and consumers should be deepened. The Chinese market provides unlimited opportunities for developing trade relations.
In addition to the meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture, the 14th International Trade Fair for Agricultural Products was held, at which Bulgaria presented its own stand with products from over 20 Bulgarian companies. As part of the event, Vasil Gelev, Executive Director of APACCCEEC and the International Center for Cooperation at the Ministry of Agriculture of China signed an Agreement to promote the exchange of personnel between research institutions, joint research and the organization of different working groups, trainings and promotions. Deputy Minister Grudev stressed that the agreement will contribute to faster promotion of Bulgarian-Chinese economic relations in agriculture.
