5. Strengthening Agricultural and Forestry Cooperation to Promote Green Development

Bearing in mind the natural and agricultural endowment of CEECs, China and CEECs have been committed to green development by actively engaging in agricultural and forestry cooperation. Cooperation mechanisms dedicated to agricultural and forestry cooperation have been established to boost cooperation in the fields through diverse channels, such as ministerial meetings, specialized forums, investment and technological cooperation and product presentation.

China-CEEC agricultural cooperation enjoys a solid foundation and is now in a good shape. From 2012 to 2019, China-CEEC agro-trade volume had grown from 1.066 billion US dollars to 1.458 billion, with an average annual growth rate of 4.58%. Import of China had grown from 318 million US dollars to 602 million, an average annual growth rate of 9.57%, while export had grown from 748 million US dollars to 856 million, an average annual growth rate of 1.94%, much slower than the growth of import. Chinese agro-trade surplus had shown a downward trend, dropping from 430 million US dollars in 2012 to 254 million in 2019. More and more agro-products from CEECs have made their way to the tables of Chinese customers through the China-Europe rail freight transport, air transport and E-commerce platforms. From 2012 to 2019, the number of Chinese businesses investing in the agriculture sector in CEECs had grown from 2 to 10, with an investment stock of about 200 million US dollars.^[4] Although Chinese investment in the CEEC agricultural sector remains small, it covers a wide range of areas and different links of the industrial chain, such as farming, processing, trade and logistics.

The China-CEEC agricultural cooperation platform was established as early as 2006, making it the very first mechanism under the China-CEEC framework when the format was created in 2012. The year 2020 is the Year of China-CEEC Agricultural Diversity Cooperation, the very first one themed on agricultural cooperation. A multi-tiered agricultural cooperation mechanism has been put in place, including the Association for the Promotion of Agricultural Cooperation, bilateral cooperation mechanisms between ministries of agriculture, cooperation mechanisms on agricultural science and technology cooperation, etc.. The Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture and the Agro-trade and Economic Cooperation Forum have become signature events of China-CEEC Cooperation. China and some CEECs have also set up cooperation mechanisms on agricultural science and technology and carried out a number of projects focused on agricultural production, breeding techniques, agro-product processing techniques, setting up information sharing platforms, research outcome commercialization, talents exchanges and joint training. CEECs have a rich variety of high-quality agro-products, especially competitive green and organic products that are up to EU green standards and popular among Chinese customers. At the first China International Import Expo, CEEC products accounted for more than half of all the agro-products exhibited. All CEECs are producers of wine and honey and exporters of wine to China.

In May 2016, the first China-CEEC High-level Conference on Forestry Cooperation was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where the Coordination Mechanism on Forestry Cooperation was officially launched. Guided by the High-level Conference (Forestry Ministers’Meeting), the Coordination Mechanism set up a Liaison Group responsible for making work plans, while its Secretariat (based in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of Slovenia) is in charge of coordination with CEECs and cooperation with China on public administration, scientific research and education as well as industrial investment. China and CEECs have also stepped up cooperation in sustainable and multi-functional forest management, wetland and wildlife protection, green economy and eco-culture. The two sides have been committed to implementing the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, especially the sustainable forest management targets in its Action Plan. China and CEECs have also strengthened cooperation on forestry research and personnel exchanges. So far, two high-level conferences, three meetings of the Liaison Group and an international Conference on Forestry Research and Education Cooperation have been held.