10.1 International Agricultural Trade.  From 1980 to 2003, China’s agricultural trade with other countries has made a rapid development. In 2003, the total value of agricultural exports and imports was up to US$ 40.36 billion, an increase of US$ 28.76 billion or 247.9 percent up from 1980, with over US$ 2.5 billion of favorable balance. The total value of agricultural exports was up to US$ 21.43 billion, an increase of US$ 16.6 billion or 343.7 percent; that of agricultural imports was US$ 18.93 billion, an increase of US$ 12.17 billion or 180 percent. Major exported items exceeding imported ones were vegetables (US$ 3 billion), aquatic products (US$ 3 billion), grains (US$ 2.214 billion), fruits (US$ 873 million); and those with deficits were oilseeds (mainly soybean, US$ 5.318 billion), edible vegetable oil (US$ 2.525 billion), livestock products (US$ 640 million) and sugar (US$ 145 million).

10.2 Foreign Investment.  Starting from scratch, China has developed various channels and forms for introducing foreign capital to agriculture since the reform and opening up to the outside world. In 2003, the total number of projects with foreign capital was up to 14 656 and the total agreed amount of foreign capital reached US$ 25.788 billion. Foreign investment flowing in through various channels has not only complemented by also promoted domestic investment in agriculture. It has also played a very important role in alleviating poverty, accelerating the introduction of advanced technologies and improved varieties and breeds from other countries, and promoting the process of the vertical integration in agriculture.

 Foreign Capital Introduced into Agriculture in China

10.3 Cooperation and Exchanges in Agricultural Science and Technology.  Over the past 25 years, China has imported more than 1 000 items of advanced technologies and over one hundred thousands of improved varieties and breeds including that of grain, cotton, oil crops, fruits, vegetables, forages, livestock, poultry and aquatic, which has injected new energy into domestic agricultural production. For instance, the remote sensing, film-mulching, dryland nursing and light transplanting of paddy rice, cow raising, factory raising of chicken, cage fish culture, and the preservation and storage technologies have been extensively applied, which has yield tremendous social and economic benefits. On the other hand, China has exported germplasm and technologies to other countries. For example, hybrid rice farming, biogas generation, aquiculture as well as farm machinery are very popular in many countries, especially in developing countries. Since its accession to the WTO in 2001, China has taken an even more active approach in opening up to the outside world in agriculture, making full use of scientific and technical resources and the latest achievements worldwide, strengthening cooperation with other countries in the fields of germplasm, crop farming, animal husbandry, aquaculture, control of diseases and pests, and agro-mechanization.

10.4 Regional Cooperation in Agriculture.  With a faster economic globalization, regional agricultural cooperation is of more dynamic. In addition to strengthening the multilateral and bilateral agricultural cooperation, the Chinese government has actively participated in regional cooperation. Currently, China has launched an overall agricultural cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and continued to enhance regional agricultural cooperation with the African and other regions as well. In the past two years, the MOA has financed nearly 20 training course and seminars for ASEAN countries on agro-technologies. More than 400 technicians and managerial staff from these countries have actively taken part in these training courses and seminars. The training courses and exchange activities have laid sound basis for further economic and trade cooperation in the field of agriculture among these countries. China is also an active participator and sponsor of the GMS agricultural cooperation. In November 2003, the MOA, together with the Asian Development Bank successfully organized the Seminar on GMS Agricultural Investment and Cooperation in Yunnan Province. This seminar played an active role in promoting in-depth agricultural cooperation in the sub-region. At the same time, China and Africa have made new breakthroughs in agricultural cooperation. For example, China and some African countries have successfully carried out projects of agricultural vocational education and training, which has become a model for China-Africa agricultural cooperation. Furthermore, China has also played an active role in strengthening Asia-European regional agricultural cooperation. The Asia-Europe Summit Meeting (ASEM) High-Level Conference on Agricultural Cooperation initiated by China was successfully held in Beijing in November 2003. Ministers of agriculture or delegations led by senior officials from 26 member nations of ASEM attended the conference, indicating that Asia-Europe regional agricultural cooperation began.