12 October 2023, China: Vice Minister Ma Youxiang co-chaired the seventh meeting of the China–New Zealand Joint Committee on Agriculture in Beijing on Oct. 8, 2023, with Ray Smith, Director-General of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) of New Zealand. The meeting reviewed the bilateral agricultural cooperation since the sixth meeting in 2019 and discussed priorities for future cooperation.
Vice Minister Ma said agriculture is an integral part of China–New Zealand cooperation. In recent years, the bilateral agricultural cooperation mechanism has been continuously refined, S&T cooperation has been furthered, and agricultural trade has developed rapidly. New Zealand has been the fourth-largest supplier of agricultural products to China for four consecutive years. China hopes to work with New Zealand to better align agricultural strategies and enhance agricultural trade within the framework of the Strategic Plan on Promoting Agricultural Cooperation (2023–2027) signed by the MARA and MPI in June, to take China–New Zealand agricultural cooperation to a new high.
Director–General Smith spoke highly of the stable and improving agricultural relations between New Zealand and China and agreed with Vice Minister Ma on expanding bilateral agricultural cooperation. He said New Zealand stands ready to cooperate with China to achieve common goals and bring more benefits to the people of both countries through more fruitful cooperation.
After the meeting, Director–General Smith visited the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, inspecting the National Germplasm Bank and the National Agricultural Science & Technology Innovation Park.
