Economic Watch: China, New Zealand cooperation offers win-win model
BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The ground-breaking cooperation agreement between China and New Zealand on the Belt and Road Initiative -- the first with a developed Western country -- came like a lovely breeze across the South-Pacific amid the global chill of rising protectionism.
During Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's four-day official visit to the Oceanian country, the first visit by a Chinese premier in 11 years, Li and his New Zealand counterpart, Bill English, witnessed the signing of the agreement Monday in Wellington .
China and New Zealand will explore the possibilities of bilateral cooperation in various fields to promote interconnectivity between the two countries, Li said at a joint press conference with English at Premier House.
The move offers a win-win model of globalization and sets an example of bilateral cooperation for other Western countries, Liu Qing, head of the Asia-Pacific department at the China Institute of International Studies, told Xinhua.
It shows New Zealand's commitment to embracing the vast opportunities China offers, which are important to the development of globalization, Liu added.
The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China in 2013 consists of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. It aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along, and beyond, the ancient Silk Road trade routes.
The initiative has won support from over 100 countries and international organizations, with the signing of nearly 50 inter-governmental agreements of cooperation.
The value of infrastructure projects rose 47 percent to nearly 500 billion U.S. dollars in 66 countries and regions that fell under the initiative in 2016, according to accounting firm PwC.
New Zealand is a "natural extension" of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, so China welcomes New Zealand's participation in building the Belt and Road, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Lutong said in a published article in Chinese.
China will invite New Zealand to attend a high-level meeting within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative in May to deepen dialogue and exchange, expand consensus and engage in win-win cooperation, Wang said.
New Zealand has always been a front-runner among developed countries in cooperating with China, Liu Qing said.
New Zealand was the first Western developed country to conclude bilateral negotiations on China's accession to the World Trade Organization, to recognize China's full market-economy status, to sign and implement a bilateral free trade agreement with China, and to join the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member.
New Zealand was also the first country to sign both film and TV cooperation deals in 2010 and 2014 respectively with China, and New Zealand was the first country to have two Chinese cultural centers.
Liu Qing believes that Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries will help upgrade bilateral economic and trade ties in sectors including infrastructure, agriculture, telecommunications and services.
Pan Gang, President of Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group, China's leading dairy producer, agreed.
At the opening ceremony of the second phase of its Oceania Production Base on the South Island of New Zealand on Saturday, Pan said that the Belt and Road Initiative has provided new opportunities for companies of both countries in dairy cooperation in broadening the consumer market and increasing production capacity.
Dairy cooperation is just one example of fruitful bilateral economic cooperation. Over the past three years, China has become New Zealand's largest export destination, trade partner and import source, with bilateral trade exceeding 20 billion New Zealand dollars (14 billion U.S. dollars) last year, up nearly 5 percent year on year.
Both sides are working steadily toward the goal of 30 billion New Zealand dollars (21 billion U.S. dollars) by 2020, set by the leaders of both sides.
In addition, Belt and Road cooperation between the two nations will also benefit countries of the South Pacific at large to share in regional connectivity, said Liu Qing.
Through the Belt and Road platform, countries of the South Pacific can strengthen infrastructure connectivity including shipping, aviation and the Internet, as well as construction of ports and roads, he added.
"The Belt and Road Initiative is very important to connecting countries and creating more opportunities for exchanges of goods and services," said Hans-Paul Burkner, chairman of the Boston Consulting Group.
Burkner said the initiative can push globalization to a new level, as it can connect more countries in Asia and beyond to the world economy.
Indeed, as China and New Zealand celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year, they will continue to press ahead with more practical cooperation and strengthen global and regional confidence, Liu Qing said.
SOURCE:Xinhua News Agency
Leaders talk Belt & Road plan with Xi
President invites Nepal, Madagascar and Micronesia to join trade initiative
Chinese PresidentXi Jinping (R) meets with Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Beijing, capital of China, March 27, 2017.
Nepal, Micronesia and Madagascar are welcome to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping separately told leaders of the three countries on Monday.
While meeting with Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Xi said that the two countries should seize the opportunities to work together on the Belt and Road Initiative to push forward cooperation in such areas as interconnection, free trade, agriculture, production capacity, energy and earthquake reconstruction.
The Belt and Road Initiative, put forward by Xi in 2013, aims to revive the ancient land and sea trade routes of the Silk Road with a focus on infrastructure.
Mentioning that China and Nepal have maintained close contacts in all levels of government and political parties, Xi called for ongoing efforts to further develop friendly ties between the two countries.
China and Nepal should continue to build upon political trust and support each other on major issues related to shared interests, Xi said. The two countries should expand two-way investment and promote fair bilateral trade, he added.
The Nepalese prime minister expressed gratitude for China's long-term support, especially the assistance with reconstruction following Nepal's deadly 2015 earthquake.
Dahal also affirmed his nation's commitment to the one-China policy and said the country will never allow any force to engage in anti-China activities in Nepalese territory.
Nepal supports the Belt and Road Initiative, and it is willing to cooperate with China in areas including trade, investment, transportation, infrastructure, tourism and aviation, he said.
Also on Monday, President Xi told Madagascan President Hery Rajaonarimampianina that China supports Madagascar's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and the nation can help bridge a link to Africa.
China is willing to establish a comprehensive cooperative partnership with Madagascar, Xi said.
In the past 45 years, the two countries have respected each other and supported each other on issues of key interests and concerns, Xi said.
China will support Madagascar in infrastructure construction, human resources and investment and trade efforts, he said, adding the two countries should cooperate in fields such as agriculture, fisheries and security and legal affairs.
The Madagascan president said his country expects to promote economic and social development through deepening cooperation with China.
After the meeting, the two presidents were on hand as cooperative documents were signed, including a memorandum of understanding on jointly working on the Belt and Road Initiative and others related to trade and infrastructure.
Xi also said on Monday that China and Micronesia should fully tap into their potential and press ahead with two-way cooperation in fields including tourism, agriculture, fisheries and infrastructure.
He told Micronesian President Peter M. Christian the two countries enjoy common or similar views on international and regional issues and explained China is ready to strengthen coordination on key issues such as climate change.
China supports Micronesia to further play a role in regional affairs and is ready to step up dialogue and communication on issues involving Pacific island countries, Xi added.
Christian said his country staunchly upholds the one-China policy and stands with China regarding major issues such as climate change and globalization.
Xi noted that, after the two countries established a strategic partnership of mutual respect and common development in 2014, they have deepened political trust and strengthened cooperation and have made important progress.
China views Micronesia as a good friend and a good partner among Pacific island countries, Xi said. He said China is willing to continue with high-level communication.
Christian said Micronesia's relationship with China has achieved robust development since the diplomatic ties were established 28 years ago.
Following their talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing of bilateral agreements on economic and technological cooperation.
SOURCE:Xinhua News Agency
Feature: With humor, Premier Li seeks to "beef" up China-Australia economic ties
CANBERRA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Besides lovable kangaroos and koalas, cattle are a symbol of Australia, too. And a witty and humorous "beef" anecdote told by visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang showed his vision on closer bilateral economic ties.
"I just checked with the waiter whether we are having beef today. The answer is no. Only chicken will be served," said smiling Li, when addressing more than 400 lawmakers, businessmen and other people at a luncheon hosted by his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday.
The audience responded with amused laugh and warm applause.
"Naturally I have come here not just for beef or chicken, but for many more areas of exchanges and cooperation we should pursue," Li continued. "First, I have come for free trade."
With the anecdote, Li highlighted the purpose of his visit to promote free trade and investment as well as overall China-Australian relations after 45 years of diplomatic ties.
Li, accompanied by his wife Cheng Hong and senior Chinese officials, arrived in Canberra on Wednesday for a five-day official visit, the first to the Oceanian country by a Chinese premier in 11 years.
The two nations have highly complementary economies. China is the largest trading partner and a major source of foreign tourists and students for Australia. The two countries lifted their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Australia in 2014.
The message is encouraging. Australian beef exporters have high hopes for what they will benefit from the visit.
In Thursday's lunch address at Parliament House in Canberra, the Chinese premier pledged that China stood ready to increase the import of competitive products from Australia and might well start with importing chilled beef for the first time.
On Friday, Li held the fifth annual meeting with Turnbull. The two leaders witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation agreements in trade, innovation, agriculture, food, law enforcement, tourism and education.
Li cited several examples in his speech to show China's willingness to advance bilateral relations and jointly push economic globalization.
"Yesterday when my wife and I were flying to Australia, we saw lightening on both sides of the plane when it flew through the clouds. Yet, we kept going forward," Li said at the start of the lunch speech.
He then emphasized China's firm conviction in the strong, sustained momentum of the China-Australia relations and moving forward bilateral friendship.
Knowing well about China's history, Turnbull mentioned ancient Chinese navigator Zheng He in his speech. Li then drew the same example of Zheng to show China's commitment to the path of peaceful development.
"The sole mission of his seven voyages into the western oceans was to promote peace and friendship," said Li.
China is willing to work with Australia and other relevant countries to maintain regional peace and stability and promote common prosperity, he said.
On China's foreign policy, Li said "China does not want to see the practice of picking sides, which smacks of the Cold War mentality." He said the issues that have arisen can be handled according to existing rules and consensus in political, economic and other fields.
Li said he accepted Prime Minister Turnbull's invitation to a match of Australian football in Sydney, but he would not pick side.
"I will behave as a faithful spectator and loudly cheer for whichever team that scores the goal," he said.
SOURCE:Xinhua News Agency
Feature: With humor, Premier Li seeks to "beef" up China-Australia economic ties (2)
CANBERRA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Besides lovable kangaroos and koalas, cattle are a symbol of Australia, too. And a witty and humorous "beef" anecdote told by visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang showed his vision on closer bilateral economic ties.
"I just checked with the waiter whether we are having beef today. The answer is no. Only chicken will be served," said smiling Li, when addressing more than 400 lawmakers, businessmen and other people at a luncheon hosted by his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday.
The audience responded with amused laugh and warm applause.
"Naturally I have come here not just for beef or chicken, but for many more areas of exchanges and cooperation we should pursue," Li continued. "First, I have come for free trade."
With the anecdote, Li highlighted the purpose of his visit to promote free trade and investment as well as overall China-Australian relations after 45 years of diplomatic ties.
Li, accompanied by his wife Cheng Hong and senior Chinese officials, arrived in Canberra on Wednesday for a five-day official visit, the first to the Oceanian country by a Chinese premier in 11 years.
The two nations have highly complementary economies. China is the largest trading partner and a major source of foreign tourists and students for Australia. The two countries lifted their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Australia in 2014.
The message is encouraging. Australian beef exporters have high hopes for what they will benefit from the visit.
In Thursday's lunch address at Parliament House in Canberra, the Chinese premier pledged that China stood ready to increase the import of competitive products from Australia and might well start with importing chilled beef for the first time.
On Friday, Li held the fifth annual meeting with Turnbull. The two leaders witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation agreements in trade, innovation, agriculture, food, law enforcement, tourism and education.
Li cited several examples in his speech to show China's willingness to advance bilateral relations and jointly push economic globalization.
"Yesterday when my wife and I were flying to Australia, we saw lightening on both sides of the plane when it flew through the clouds. Yet, we kept going forward," Li said at the start of the lunch speech.
He then emphasized China's firm conviction in the strong, sustained momentum of the China-Australia relations and moving forward bilateral friendship.
Knowing well about China's history, Turnbull mentioned ancient Chinese navigator Zheng He in his speech. Li then drew the same example of Zheng to show China's commitment to the path of peaceful development.
"The sole mission of his seven voyages into the western oceans was to promote peace and friendship," said Li.
China is willing to work with Australia and other relevant countries to maintain regional peace and stability and promote common prosperity, he said.
On China's foreign policy, Li said "China does not want to see the practice of picking sides, which smacks of the Cold War mentality." He said the issues that have arisen can be handled according to existing rules and consensus in political, economic and other fields.
Li said he accepted Prime Minister Turnbull's invitation to a match of Australian football in Sydney, but he would not pick side.
"I will behave as a faithful spectator and loudly cheer for whichever team that scores the goal," he said.
SOURCE:Xinhua News Agency
Minister: No approval given to GMO grains
Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu (center) attends a news conference of the two sessions in Beijing, March 7, 2017. [Feng Yongbin/China Daily]
China hasn't approved any planting of GMO (genetically modified organism) grains, said a top agricultural official Tuesday.
Agricultural Minister Han Changfu made the remarks during a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing legislative and political advisory meetings.
The safety of GMO technology can be ensured, says Zhang Taolin, deputy agricultural minister, at the conference.
Many international authorities, such as WHO, the European Commission and International Council for Science, have done long-term tracking, evaluation and supervision on GMO safety. Results show that GMO products that have passed safety test and approved by governments are as safe as non-GMO products.
The government's stance on GMO is consistent and clear - bold in research, careful in popularization and strict in management, said Zhang.
SOURCE:MOA
GM food research to continue amid prudent approach, official says
China will continue to encourage GM food research and take prudent steps in marketing procedures, a leading agriculture official said on Tuesday.
Vice-Minister of Agriculture Zhang Taolin told a news conference that the country will continue to support GM food research by enabling the development of domestic technology and indigenous innovation.
It will continue to follow the previously designed roadmap of GM technology development, which allows the commercial marketing of non-edible crop varieties first, before allowing the marketing of varieties that are indirectly edible.
The marketing of directly edible varieties will come last, he said.
China has still to approve the marketing of GM grains. To date, agricultural authorities have only approved the marketing of domestic GM papaya and cotton.
Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu said at the news conference that the ministry will continue to crack down on the illegal cultivation of GM crops that have not been approved for commercial cultivation.
In 2015, authorities destroyed more than 66 hectares of corn-seed farms in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Gansu province. In Hainan province, authorities destroyed more than 6 hectares of GM corn.
SOURCE:China Daily
Campaigns target farm pollution and waste
Targeted campaigns will be launched to curb pollution and animal waste on livestock and poultry farms as well as the excessive use of fertilizers in the horticultural sector in an attempt to bolster the environment in rural areas, the minister of agriculture said. Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, the minister, Han Changfu, said that the ministry will kick off a campaign this year to treat the pollution and waste products from livestock and poultry farms to improve the rural environment.
All the excrement from large-scale farms will either go through special treatment or be reused as resources, he said.
The excessive use of fertilizers in the horticultural sector, especially fruit and vegetables, will also be targeted and use of organic fertilizers will be encouraged, he said.
More than 40 percent of fertilizers in China are used in the horticultural sector, according to the ministry.
By 2020, the use of fertilizers in the cultivation of fruit, vegetables and tea across the country will be reduced by 50 percent, Han said.
The ministry will also launch a campaign to reduce the use of plastic mulches (mainly used as coverings for compost). Authorities will encourage farmers to use thicker mulch sheets to make them easier to be recycled through machinery, he added.
Livestock and poultry farms produce more than 3 billion metric tons of wastewater each year, according to the ministry.
SOURCE:China Daily
Internet-savvy Chinese drive up sales of Australian produce over New Year
CANBERRA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The sale of fresh Australian produce boomed over the Chinese New Year period, with tech-savvy Chinese buyers using online retailers to plug the gap left by supermarket closures over the busy holiday period.
Online shopping giant JD.com reported a sharp increase in sales of online goods over the holiday period, with the sale of imported goods such as Australian beef, cherries, and kiwifruit increasing by up to 14-fold.
JD.com told Australia's News Corp that, in the long term, it expects "a continued boom in imported food sales as Chinese palates become more sophisticated, and customers become increasingly aware."
Meanwhile JD.com's competitor, Alibaba said Chinese consumers often bought foreign goods online during the New Year period as local businesses often closed so that employees could spend time with family.
"Since many supermarkets in China are closed during the holidays, a lot of confectionery products and fresh produce through our online supermarket proved popular, including crackers, nuts, candies, cherries, kiwi, apples, fresh vegetables, and dumplings," a spokesperson told News Corp.
Recent statistics released by China's Agriculture Ministry showed that while the total value of agricultural imports into China fell in 2016, the sale of livestock and other goods such as wheat - often from Australia - had bucked the trend.
Imports of wheat grew 13.5 percent, while rice and vegetables grew by 5.5 and 2 percent respectively, while livestock imports jumped by almost 15 percent to be worth more than 23 billion US dollars.
Specifically, pork imports rose 110 percent, beef imports rose by 22.4 percent and milk powder grew by 15.2 percent.
SOURCE:Xinhua News Agency
China-New Zealand joint food science center to open economic opportunities
WELLINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- A planned joint China-New Zealand food research center will bring scientific and economic benefits to both countries, the head of a New Zealand government research institute said Friday.
The center would see New Zealand's AgResearch collaborating with China's largest state-owned food company and the largest university food science and nutrition research department.
AgResearch had signed a collaboration arrangement signed earlier this month in Beijing with the Nutrition and Health Research Institute within the China Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) and with the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agriculture University (CAU).
They would explore opportunities to work together formally in the name of a "joint international research center for food science to promote international exchange, research and productivity, with a particular focus on further enhancing a China-New Zealand relationship."
The arrangement is aimed to initiate activities of mutual benefit in terms of knowledge development, scientific and technological innovation and economic benefit, said AgResearch chief executive Tom Richardson.
"Some of the key research areas where AgResearch expects to work closely with COFCO and CAU are food science, processing, food assurance and safety, and human nutrition," Richardson said.
The relationship with such influential institutions opened up a host of opportunities in the world's most populous country for AgResearch, and for agriculture and agribusiness in New Zealand.
"We are fortunate to have world-class scientists in New Zealand. Being able to reach out and work with some of the best scientists elsewhere in the world bolsters what we are doing, and what we can offer to enhance industry here," he said.
SOURCE:Xinhua News Agency
China's appetite for EU's pork is growing
European farmers benefitted from a doubling of pork exports to China in 2016, according to an official industry organization.
Countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and Denmark led the list of exporters.
The UK's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board noted that global pork shipments to the world's second-largest economy reached 1.6 million metric tons.
The board cited the restructuring of the Chinese pig industry as the main reason for the increase in hunger for the product.
The European Union supplied around two-thirds of China's imported pork.
"This was particularly true early in 2016, driven by plentiful supplies, competitive prices and hormone-free production systems," said Bethan Wilkins, an analyst at the board.
But EU farmers are likely to see increasing competition from the United States and Brazil in future. After gaining increased access to the Chinese market, Brazil became its eighth-largest pork supplier last year.
Shipments of pig meat from the UK to China shot up last year, reaching 43,000 tons－a rise of 31 percent compared to 2015. Pig meat refers to various cuts and products, as opposed the whole pig carcass.
"Higher pig prices in China enabled average unit prices to rise," said Wilkins. "So, the value of these imports was up ahead of volume, almost reaching 50 million pounds ($62 million).
Offal imports were up 72 percent to 1.3 million tons worldwide, while the EU remained the dominant supplier. Offal shipments from the UK were up 32 percent, but volumes exported during the final quarter were 9 percent lower than they were in the same period in 2015. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board said this was due to increased competition from the US and because of falling UK production.
In the coming year, the board expects Chinese domestic production to increase, which will reduce demand for imports.
Wilkins said: "This will be a concern for the global pork market, as China has been a key outlet in a background of lackluster demand for pig meat in Europe and the US. Unless alternative markets can be found, a fall in demand from China could begin to put pressure on global pork prices this year, particularly in light of the expansion in US production."
SOURCE:China Daily