Back
B&R
2020 CIIE: Cambodian official calls expo a vital platform for rural cooperation
29 Jun 2020

 

The Cambodian Rural Development Agency has praised the China International Import Expo (CIIE) as a platform for farmers from the Southeast Asian nation to show their products.

 

Rouen Sovannarith, chairman of the agency, told CGTN that the CIIE acts as a messenger who brings together businessmen, traders, investors and government agencies.

 

He said countries are also merging their development projects and policies for the benefit of companies, especially in the agriculture sector where privately owned small- and micro-sized businesses make up the majority.

 

The third CIIE has opened registration for professional visitors, organizers said Wednesday.

 

Professional visitors, including buyers, industry insiders and experts from enterprises, social organizations, public institutions and government organs, from home and abroad can register on its official website starting on June 24.

 

China and Cambodia initiated on June 16 a "fast track" for the transfer of people and a "green corridor" for the flow of goods between the two countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The announcement was made at the fifth meeting of the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee, which was co-chaired by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Nam Hong via videoconferencing.

 

Rouen Sovannarith said Cambodia has abundant agricultural resources and a lot to offer, but the global pandemic has forced thousands of farmers out of business.

 

He said the CIIE would be a great chance for the two sides to deepen existing cooperation on agriculture under the Belt and Road Initiative.

 

In May 2019, Chinese food inspection and quarantine authorities announced a list of five banana plantations that can directly export bananas to China, the first such list after years of negotiation due to differences on food standards.

 

Since then, China's imports of Cambodian bananas have surged from 10,000 tons in 2018 to 160,000 tons in 2019.

 

The two sides are now working to add fresh mangoes to the list.

 

Source: CGTN