China and Chile will jointly conduct research on livestock
breeding and genetically modified crops, according to a memorandum
signed by agricultural officials from the two countries in Beijing
on Tuesday.
The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the
Chilean Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) agreed to
exchange livestock, including cattle, and cooperate on developing
genetically modified crops and fruits.
The two countries will also work together to improve irrigation,
pest prevention and the mechanization of small agricultural
projects.
The exchanges will give Chilean farmers more access to new
technologies, said Cecilia Leiva, Chile's vice minister of
agriculture.
"The exchange is fundamental to the success of agricultural
development of China and Chile," said Leiva.
China enjoys advantages in farming, animal husbandry,
microbiology, farm product processing as well as natural resources
and environment, said Zhang Lijian, vice director of the CAAS.
Zhang said he hoped the cooperation would soon benefit people of
both countries.
Chile signed a free trade agreement with China last November,
the first Latin American country to do so.
The agreement, which came into effect on October 1, exempted 97
percent of all trade goods from import tariffs.
China is Chile's second largest trading partner, with an average
annual growth of 20 percent since 2000. Commodity trade volume
reached US$7.13 billion in 2005, said the Ministry of Commerce.
(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2006)
