Vice Minister Chen Xiaohua meets Finnish Minister Jari Koskinen
DATE:2014-06-20 SOURCE:Information Office, MOA
Vice Minister Chen Xiaohua held working talks with Mr. Jari Koskinen, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (MMM) of Finland in Helsinki on June 18, 2014. The two sides exchanged views on further strengthening agricultural cooperation between China and Finland. Ms. Jaana Husu-Kallio, MMM Permanent Secretary chaired the meeting.
At the meeting, Chen noted that China and Finland are highly complementary to each other in agriculture, and enjoy increased exchange of visits, improved cooperation mechanisms and enriched cooperation activities. The Chinese side hoped to deepen practical cooperation with Finland to usher bilateral agricultural cooperation into a new stage.
To this end, Chen put forward the following proposal for future cooperation:
First, to promote cooperation in agricultural science and technology, agri-product processing and agricultural resource conservation;
Second, to strengthen policy and technological exchange, and establish exchange mechanisms on quality and safety of agri-products between experts of two countries;
Third, to enhance exchange and cooperation in animal health and improve the existing communication mechanisms in veterinary service;
Fourth, to deepen biomass-energy cooperation in research of key technologies and exchange on management practices; and
Fifth, to support cooperation between agri-businesses of two countries, including agricultural investments and trade.
Koskinen fully agreed with Chen on the above proposal. He expressed his readiness to make joint efforts with China inadvancing bilateral cooperation.
Chen and Koskinen both attended the 2nd China-Finland Agricultural Working Group Meeting, and signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture of the People''s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Finland on further Cooperation in Agriculture after the meeting.