The European Commission on behalf of the EU signed an agreement with China in order to give a new impetus to their partnership and bring mutual benefits by establishing a stronger and closer relationship in agriculture, so that we tackle bilateral and international challenges more effectively together.

The EU-China trade in agricultural and food products has been growing steadily over the past few years. Therefore, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Cioloş, and China Minister for Agriculture, Han Changfu, signed in Beijing a Cooperation Plan on Agriculture and Rural Development. In April 2012, it was also launched the people-to-people dialogue between the EU and China.

The new agreement is particularly aimed at sharing ideas, best practices, and innovative solutions. The plan will address issues of food security, as well as our environmental challenges, so as to make agriculture more sustainable and enhance agricultural trade relations. According to the European Commission, focusing on common priorities will bring new momentum to EU-China relations in agriculture and rural development. Priority sectors for cooperation may include: food security, international cooperation, environmental-friendly agriculture, organic farming, and food safety.

The EU-China Dialogue on Agriculture established in July 2005 enables both China and the European Union to exchange on bilateral and multilateral agricultural issues and promote mutual understanding, trust and bilateral co-operation. Since then, there have been implemented fruitful experiences. Building on these experiences, the EU and China are willing to take this dialogue further and to start a strengthened cooperation in the field of agricultural research, rural development, food security and quality policies.