The High-Level Mission featured a diverse array of activities aimed at fostering collaboration and trade opportunities between the EU and China. The programme included business matchmaking meetings, a market access seminar, a GI cooking show, and networking opportunities. These have managed to facilitate creating new connections between EU and Chinese stakeholders in the agri-food sector. The programme also made possible around 45 specialised visits to various stakeholders in the Chinese agri-food landscape, ranging from retailers and importers to meat markets and logistics hubs.
An institutional pavilion at the Anuga Select fair in Shenzhen showcased EU products, with over 600 exhibitors and 25 000 professionals present. The Commissioner also engaged with international and Chinese media, giving interviews to outlets such as Reuters, South Morning Chinese Post, Caixin, Yicai and Shanghai TV, enhancing media outreach.
China remains the third agri-food export market for EU-27 (after the US and UK) and the fifth supplier for the EU. The European Union has been involved in promoting EU agricultural food and beverage products in China by co-financing 60 ongoing promotion campaigns proposed by organisations from different Member States and targeting the country, as well as the European Commission’s promotion campaign ‘Colours by Europe. Tradition of Excellence’, our presence at FHC and CIIE Shanghai, the Promotion export seminar in 2022 and the Market Entry Handbook.