Minister Han Changfu paid a visit to Argentina for stronger agricultural cooperation on July 18-19, 2014. He was accompanying President Xi Jinping on a state visit to Argentina.
During the stay in Argentina, under the witness of President Xi and Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Minister Han and Mr.Carlos Horacio Misaquela, Argentine Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening veterinary and animal health cooperation. Minister Han also accompanied President Xi on his visit to the Republic Farm.
During his visit, Minister Han met with Minister Misaquela and exchanged views on strengthening bilateral agricultural cooperation. At the meeting, Minister Han pointed out that China and Argentina enjoy sound mechanisms, solid foundation and clear goals for agricultural cooperation, and further collaboration is in the fundamental interests of both countries. The Chinese side is willing to work together with the Argentine side to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture. To this end, Minister Han put forward a five-point proposal for future cooperation:
Firstly, boost China-Argentina agricultural cooperation in a pragmatic manner to elevate the overall agricultural cooperation between China and Latin America to a new height;
Secondly, give full play to China-Argentina joint commission on agriculture and its working groups to create conditions and opportunities for practical cooperation;
Thirdly, enhance agricultural R&D collaboration to improve innovation capability of both countries; and
Fourthly, intensify cooperation in agricultural trade and investment to sharpen agricultural competitiveness of both countries in the international market and to better complement each other with respective strengths.
Misaquela agreed with Minister Han on the proposal for closer agricultural cooperation. He stressed that China and Argentina are highly complementary in agriculture and expressed strong willingness to further intensify cooperation with China in agricultural S&T, aquaculture and fishing, personnel exchanges and training, and agricultural trade and investment.
At the end of the meeting, they witnessed the signing of the MOU on cooperation in agricultural science and technology between the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the National Institute for Agricultural Technology of Argentina.