Food safety important in China-New Zealand agricultural cooperation
DATE:2014-11-13 SOURCE:Xinhua News Agency
BEIJING, Nov. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Tuesday that nothing was more important than the safety of food product when he was answering a netizen's question during an online interaction with netizens via Xinhuanet.
"In recent years, many Chinese enterprises, such as YASHILI Group, Yili Industrial Group, have invested in the New Zealand's dairy industry. As Chinese consumers pay very close attention to the safety of dairy products, what are some of the measures New Zealand would take to ensure the safety of its dairy products?' A netizen named Sunny Boy asked.
Chinese consumers are paying premium for New Zealand products because they are relying very much on the safety of New Zealand products, Key said his job is to give them absolute assurance that New Zealand safety standards are the best in the world.
In 2013, YASHILI announced that it would invest 1.1 billion yuan to build a factory in New Zealand and set up the Yashily-New Zealand Dairy Co. Ltd.. The company is located in Waikato area in New Zealand, where is a famous agricultural and pastoral area in the world. YASHILI was included in the list of "500 most valuable brands in China" with its brand value of 12.626 billion yuan in 2014.
During the online interaction, the prime minister answered a wide range of questions concerning political, economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
He arrived in Beijing Sunday to attend the 22nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders'' Meeting.