Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has returned from his roughly two-week trip to China. The trip was to strengthen trade relations and increase market access.
Lawrence MacAulay headed overseas to also attend and lead Canada’s delegation to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. There, more than 100,000 people visited the Canadian pavilion while roughly 9,000 learned what the pavilion had to offer via its website.
Throughout the mission, 18 agriculture and agri-food agreements were signed. The multiple agreements are estimated to be worth more than $353 million. Meanwhile, other deals were made during the expo by Canadian companies which, when added to the 18 agreements, add up to about $1.67 billion.
“Our Government is working hard to ensure that we export even more of our high-quality, safe food products to the Chinese market, which will ensure we continue to create good jobs for Canadians and strengthen our middle class,” MacAulay says in a news release.
Han Changfu, China’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, met with MacAulay to speak about current trade issues including canola, biotechnology, and science cooperation. In the release, it states that just like Canada, China understands the critical importance of science and technology to food security and economic growth.
Also a part of the trade mission was Minister of Finance, Bill Morneau, and Minister of International Trade Diversification, Jim Carr. The pair attended the Canada-China Economic and Finance Strategic Dialogue (EFSD) to promote bilateral cooperation across a wide range of economic portfolios, including agriculture.
