If present international trading trends continue the European
Union (EU) will see its agriculture exports to China exceed 2
billion euros within five years, an EU representative has
said.?
As its economy continues to develop China's urban middle class
will grow from 120 million to 150 million in five years which bodes
well for the burgeoning agricultural trade between the two sides,
said Raimondo Serra, Agricultural Counselor with the Delegation of
the European Commission in China.
The EU's agriculture exports are likely to hit 4 billion euros
when China's urban middle class reaches 200 to 250 million, said
Serra at a forum during the "Sino-Italian Green Week" which runs
from July 3-6.
As more Chinese people became increasingly affluent their tastes
often adjusted to include western-style foods and this brought
significant opportunities for EU agricultural trade with China,
Serra said.
"China, however, can produce most products and has a comparative
advantage in labor-intensive crop farming," he said. China's
production of garlic, mushrooms, tomato paste and frozen
strawberries could put a lot of pressure on the EU, said
Serra.?
"But the EU can't just build a defensive strategy," he
observed.?
China, which is short of land and water resources, has
production limitations and the country has been a net food importer
since 2003.
"The EU has opportunities in China especially in value-added
products," Serra said. "In an environment of relatively low tariffs
we have to be more offensively minded."
(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2006)