Vice Minister Niu Dun meets counterparts from U.S., New Zealand and Mexico

Vice Minister Niu Dun met with Mr. Michael T. Scuse, Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mr. Martyn John Dunne, Director General of New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, and Mr. Raúl Urteaga Trani, General Coordinator of International Affairs of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food of the United Mexican States, respectively, in Beijing on Sept. 18, 2014. Niu and his counterparts exchanged views on the 3rd APEC Ministerial Meeting on Food Security and further bilateral agricultural cooperation. The three high-ranking officials are on a visit to China to attend the Ministerial Meeting.

At the meeting with Scuse, Vice Minister Niu stated that China and U.S. enjoy sound agricultural cooperation mechanisms, close agricultural S&T cooperation, and active communication and exchange on agricultural trade. Scuse spoke highly of the considerable preparation made by China for the Ministerial Meeting, and hoped that the two sides could further discuss issues of common concerns in future.

Niu and Dunne co-chaired the Fourth Meeting of China-New Zealand Joint Commission on Agriculture. The two sides also had an in-depth discussion on issues of common interest. In his remarks, Niu noted that China and New Zealand enjoy sound agricultural cooperation mechanisms, further cooperation in agricultural S&T and fast growing agricultural trade. Remarkable achievements have been made in bilateral agricultural cooperation.

Dunne stressed that New Zealand will enhance technical cooperation with China in the dairy sector to help increase China''s dairy productivity. He also welcomed investment by Chinese agri-businesses in New Zealand. The two sides signed the minutes of the meeting afterward.

At the meeting with Urteaga Trani, Niu spoke highly of the positive results achieved in agricultural cooperation between China and Mexico in recent years under the framework of the Agricultural Working Group (AWG) of China-Mexico Inter-governmental Standing Committee. Niu pointed out that intensifying China-Mexico agricultural cooperation, particularly in agricultural trade, will not only promote agricultural development of both countries, but also help safeguard food security in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large and speed up the global economic recovery.