By Casey Corridor
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – On a go to to China this week, EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski stated his focus can be on rising agri-food exports to the world's second-largest financial system and retaining meals above the rising tensions in commerce between China and the EU.
“In meals commerce there aren’t any obstacles to Chinese language imports,” Wojciechowski stated Monday in an interview in Shanghai.
“My intention is to keep away from as a lot as doable that agriculture pays the prices of the issues of different sectors, which may generally occur,” he added.
The commissioner's go to, which runs till Friday, comes as China and Europe face a “slow-motion practice crash” as a rising tide of protectionism threatens to show into an all-out commerce conflict, he warned. final week Jens Eskelund, president of the European Chamber in China. .
Not like sectors comparable to photo voltaic panels or new power autos (NEVs), the European Union's agri-food sector has an export surplus in its commerce with China.
Moreover, not like different sectors, open meals commerce stays a “crucial instrument to make sure meals safety all over the place”, which is why Western sanctions on Russia following its incursion into Ukraine didn’t apply to merchandise agri-food merchandise, stated Wojciechowski.
Final 12 months, EU exports to China amounted to €14.6 billion ($15.57 billion), down eight% from 2022, whereas imports from China to the EU fell 15% to €eight.three billion. .
Wojciechowski stated there’s room for EU exports to China to develop in a wide range of agri-food sectors, from poultry to pork, beef and even dairy, a section that’s already comparatively superior by way of penetration into China.
“We will see the rise in middle-class shoppers on the lookout for good, high-quality meals. This is a chance for European Meals to extend our exports,” he stated.
(1 greenback = zero.9379 euros)
(Reporting by Casey Corridor; Enhancing by Sonali Paul)