The General Administration of Customs of China (GAC) announced on Friday that it has authorized, with immediate effect, the importation of fresh Hungarian cherries that meet the relevant requirements.
This is one of the results of the Chinese leader's state visit to Hungary from Wednesday to Friday, during which the two sides elevated their relations to a comprehensive global strategic partnership and reached a series of cooperation agreements involving the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), finance, green development, agriculture, tourism, and culture.
As China's imports of fresh cherries increase significantly, fresh Hungarian cherries are expected to gradually make their way into the rapidly growing Chinese market, an industry expert said.
Last year, China's cherry trade reached 351,200 tons, an increase of 77.69% compared to 2019, according to data from the Chinese research firm Zhiyan Consultancy. Of these, China imported 348,100 tons of fresh cherries. The country consumes approximately 22.7 percent of the world's cherry production in 2022, making it the largest market in the world.
In addition to Hungary, about 11 countries and regions have also obtained quarantine access qualification for the export of cherries to China to date, including Chile, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina.
Observers have also stated that the expansion of agricultural trade could be a new growth point to drive overall trade between China and Hungary, which are important trade partners for each other.
Currently, China is Hungary's largest trading partner outside Europe, while Hungary is one of China's main trading partners in the Central and Eastern European region. Hungary is also one of the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) with the most agricultural product export permits to China.
According to the joint statement on the establishment of a comprehensive global strategic partnership for the new era released by China and Hungary on Thursday, the two sides recognized the great potential of agricultural cooperation between them and the significant progress made under the China-CEEC agricultural cooperation mechanism.
The two sides pledged to use the China-Hungary high-level working group on agriculture and other mechanisms to strengthen economic, trade, and investment cooperation between agricultural enterprises of both sides, expand market access, promote cooperation in "small and beautiful" projects, and strengthen cooperation in areas such as animal health and joint R&D of deep processing technologies for agricultural products.
The Chinese GAC also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on animal and plant quarantine for import and export with the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture during the leader's visit.
The volume of bilateral trade between China and Hungary in 2023 reached $14.52 billion, an increase of 73% compared to 2013, according to the China-Hungary Investment and Cooperation Report.
Source: Ecns
Image: Study in Hungary
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