EU Agricultural Officials Visit China, Seeking Protection for Agricultural Exports to China

As Sino-European commercial disputes escalate, concerns within the EU about agricultural exports to China are intensifying. According to the Financial Times, EU officials are actively engaging in dialogue with China, striving to protect this crucial export sector for Europe amid growing bilateral tensions.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski recently expressed concerns about this issue. During his visit to China, he led an unprecedentedly large delegation, highlighting the EUs emphasis on this trip. Wojciechowski stressed that agriculture plays a strategic role in ensuring food security and ecological balance and should be treated as a specially protected sector. During his visit, he met with several senior Chinese officials to discuss the potential for strengthening agricultural and food trade.

It is understood that China and the EU have a close cooperative relationship in agricultural trade. The EU is an important supplier of agricultural products to China, particularly poultry, pork, beef, and dairy products. Wojciechowski noted that Europe has significant potential in per capita spending in Chinas agricultural food market, currently only half of what Chinese consumers spend in Europe.

During this visit, China lifted import bans on several EU agricultural products, including allowing imports of fresh apples from Germany and lifting the ban on German beef. These measures are seen as positive responses from China in agricultural trade.

However, the Financial Times also reported that recent EU concerns about some of Chinas industrial policies may provoke dissatisfaction from China. Particularly, anti-subsidy investigations into Chinas electric vehicle industry have touched a sensitive nerve. Observers worry this could lead to retaliatory measures against EU agricultural exports by China.

Additionally, the EUs internal agricultural policies face challenges. European farmers are dissatisfied with EU agricultural policies, believing subsidies are unfairly distributed and overly reliant on large enterprises, marginalizing small farms and eco-friendly agriculture. Furthermore, the EUs removal of import quotas and tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products and trade negotiations with the South American Common Market have exacerbated local farmers discontent.

Despite these challenges, Wojciechowski stated during his visit that Chinese officials showed no signs of using agricultural trade as a political bargaining chip. He emphasized that the EU will continue to cooperate with China to promote sustainable agriculture and food security standards globally.

In the current international political and economic environment, EU-China cooperation in agriculture is particularly important. Their efforts are not only crucial for the future of bilateral trade but also key to global food security and sustainable agricultural development.