Vice Minister Qu Dongyu met Mr. Martinus Hendricus Petrus van Dam (Martijn van Dam), Minister for Agriculture of the Netherlands, and his delegation in Beijing on 19 April 2017. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening bilateral agricultural cooperation.
Vice Minister Qu stated that China and the Netherlands have kept a good momentum in agricultural cooperation. Over the past two years, mutual visits at the state leadership level have given a strong political impetus to biagricultural cooperation. At request, Vice Minister Qu briefed Martijn van Dam on China's agricultural policy. Vice Minister Qu pointed out that agricultural supply-side structural reform is underway in China. With this reform, China is striving to produce more quality agricultural products in a sustainable way to ensure the supply keeping abreast with the upgrading consumption structure. In this regard, China hopes to learn advanced experience and technology from the Netherlands.
Mr. Martijn van Dam stated that China and the Netherlands are facing similar challenges, including producing more quality agricultural products and shortening the supply chain of agricultural products. The Netherlands stands ready to further cooperation and share knowledge and experience with China in this regard. He believed that productivity increase of quality agricultural products by taking green approaches is beneficial to agricultural development of both countries, the Europe and the entire world.
Vice Minister Qu agreed to Martijn van Dam's suggestions on cooperation in agricultural waste management, horticulture and potato. He suggested that the Dutch side participate in the 2019 World Horticultural Exposition in Beijing and also invited Mr. Martijn van Damhim to the China Hangzhou International Tea Expo 2017 in the coming May.