Minister Han Changfu met with Mr. Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for National Development of Singapore, in Singapore on September 22, 2014. The two sides exchanged views on promoting agricultural cooperation in an all-round way.
Minister Han spoke highly of the progress in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding between China and Singapore on Agro-product Quality & Safety and Food Security. He underlined the rapid development of China-Singapore Jilin Food Zone and the robust agricultural trade and investment between the two countries. In particular, he introduced the objectives and roadmap of China's "One Belt and One Road" development strategy. Minister Han noted that China and Singapore enjoy respective strengths and high complementaries to each other. A stronger partnership in agriculture will be beneficial for the two countries and their peoples. The China-Singapore Jilin Food Zone, as an important platform of bilateral cooperation, will contribute to the advancement of modern agriculture in China. Focusing on the product quality & safety system, Jilin Food Zone shall intensify its efforts in providing premium and branded agro-products to play its role as a demonstration project. In order to strengthen pragmatic agricultural cooperation between the two countries, Minister Han put forward a five-point proposal: first, to fully implement the Memorandum of Understanding between China and Singapore on Agro-product Quality & Safety and Food Security; second, to support and facilitate the development of China-Singapore Jilin Food Zone; third, to jointly step up agricultural cooperation under the frameworks of ASEAN and China ( ASEAN +1), as well as ASEAN and China, Japan and Korea (ASEAN +3); fourth, to encourage the investment cooperation between agribusinesses of both countries; and fifth, to expand agricultural trade.
Minister Khaw Boon Wan agreed with Minister Han on the above proposal. He voiced that in addition to enhancing Jilin Food Zone development,the Singapore side would also like to beef up pragmatical cooperation in agricultural trade and investment, and promote the agricultural ties to a new high.
After the meeting, Minister Han and the Chinese delegation paid a field visit on the cold chain system of agro-product logistics in Singapore.