Minister Han Changfu attends 11th China-Canada JAC Meeting
DATE:2014-06-17 SOURCE:Information Office, MOA
The 11th China-Canada Joint Agricultural Committee (JAC) Meeting was held in Beijing on June 16, 2014.
The two sides briefed each other on the policies for agriculture and rural economy, listened to the work progress reports by two Working Groups, discussed and defined projects for future cooperation. Minister Han Changfu and Mr. Gerry Ritz, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food attended and addressed the meeting.
In his speech, Minister Han noted that, under the overall guidance and coordination of China-Canada JAC, the two countries witnessed increased exchange of visits, fruitful cooperation in agricultural science and technology, and sustained and stable growth in agricultural trade. In addition to these achievements, two countries have supported each other in international agriculture affairs.
Moreover, Minister Han put forward a four-point proposal for future cooperation:
First, to improve working mechanisms and formulate work plans for JAC Working Groups;
Second, to step up cooperation in agricultural science and technology;
Third, to intensify cooperation in human resource development in agriculture and build up the capacity of farmers and officials; and
Fourth, to boost bilateral agricultural trade.
In response, Ritz stressed that China and Canada are highly complementary in agriculture, and Canada as always attaches great importance to agricultural cooperation with China. The Canadian side is willing to cement cooperation with China in areas like food security, agricultural S&T and sustainable agricultural development, and to contribute to modern agriculture development in China.
After the meeting, the two Ministers signed the Letter of Intent to Strengthen Agricultural Cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture of the People''s Republic of China and the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food of Canada.
Mr. Bi Meijia, MOA Chief Economist, also attended the Meeting.
