By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

Canadian government strengthens trade with China

May 18, 2018 | 2:42 PM

OTTAWA –  Agriculture Minister, Lawrence MacAulay wrapped up, on Friday (May 18)  a week-long mission to China, where he promoted Canadian agricultural products and discussed ways of strengthening agricultural trade between the two countries.

Key trade issues included agricultural cooperation and biotechnology products. Minister MacAulay advocated for China’s approval of three new genetically modified canola traits, which would increase canola exports to China by an estimated $400 million every year – a major increase for canola productivity.

As part of a pilot project agreed to by both countries in 2017, the first Canadian shipment of chilled pork was exported to China this month. Seventeen Canadian federally registered meat establishments are now eligible to export chilled beef derived from cattle under-thirty-months of age and/or chilled pork to China.

The Canadian meat industry estimates the increased export values from this expansion of Canada’s meat access to China, could be worth upwards of $100 million for pork and $125 million for beef over the next five years.

China’s population of 1.4 Billion has a growing middle class. MacAulay notes it could provide Canada’s economy with market opportunities that would help the government reach its target of increasing global agricultural exports to $75 billion by 2025.

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“China is an important and growing market, representing Canada’s second largest trade partner is agriculture and food. This mission has been a great opportunity to showcase Canada’s high-quality food and seafood, and to strengthen our trade ties, which are of vital importance to diversifying markets for our agricultural products and to growing the middle class.”

China is Canada’s second largest trading partner in agriculture and food.  Between 2015 and 2017, Canada’s agri-food and seafood exports to China increased by 28% and In 2017, China imported $8.60 billion worth of agricultural, agri-food and seafood products from Canada.