China and the Netherlands will step up cooperation in
agricultural research and training, sustainable rural development
and agricultural business, according to two documents the two
nations signed in Hague on Tuesday.
Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu, who is on a three-day official
visit to the Netherlands, and Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature
and Food Quality Gerda Verburg, signed the Joint Declaration on
Agricultural Cooperation, which aims to further strengthen
cooperation in agriculture and rural development.
According to the declaration, the two sides will improve
information exchange on policies for sustainable agriculture and
rural development, enhance cooperation on agricultural research and
knowledge extension, and collaborate more closely in dairy
production, animal health and other areas.
Verburg and Chinese Vice Minister of Agriculture Zhang Baowen
also signed an agreement on establishing a Sino-Dutch Agricultural
Innovation and Promotion Center in Beijing.
The center, to be built at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural
Sciences, is intended to promote and implement bilateral
cooperation on agricultural research and innovation.
Focus areas include food and nutrition, meat products,
vegetables, fruits, flowers, milk and dairy products, rural
development and ecological agriculture.
During his talks with Verburg before the signing ceremony, Hui
said that China, a large developing agricultural nation, and the
Netherlands, one of the world's leading agricultural countries,
have a strong complementary nature in the agricultural sector and
boast great potential for cooperation.
China looks forward to learning from the Dutch in agricultural
research and innovation, and will work with Dutch experts to
explore more effective ways of knowledge extension through joint
pilot training programs, he said.
Verburg said that Dutch-Chinese cooperation in agriculture has
been fruitful and that her country is ready to share experience and
expertise with China in agricultural production and rural
development.
The Netherlands looks forward to enhancing cooperation with
China in agricultural research, animal health and food security,
and expanding bilateral agricultural trade, she added.
Hui, who arrived at the Hague Sunday afternoon, is scheduled to
meet Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Dutch Prime Minister
Jan Peter Balkenende later Tuesday.
He will also meet Dutch Minister of Transport, Public Works and
Water Management Camiel Eurlings and attend the signing ceremony of
three documents on bilateral cooperation in water management.
The Netherlands is the first leg of Hui's four-nation Europe
tour, which will also take him to Ukraine, Romania and Serbia.
(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2007)
