Premier Li Keqiang sent a letter of congratulations to the China-Central and Eastern Europe agriculture ministers’ meeting on Nov 5, which was held in Kunming, Yunnan province.

Agriculture is significant to people’s livelihoods, Premier Li said in the letter.

The Chinese government has always attached great importance to agricultural development and promoted agricultural modernization through deepening reforms in rural areas, accelerating structural adjustment of agriculture, enhancing infrastructural support to agricultural development, improving public infrastructure and services in rural areas, and implementing poverty reduction projects, the Premier said.

The Premier also said that China is willing to align its development strategies with the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries and share development experiences to further promote the level of agricultural cooperation and bring benefits to the people of all these countries.

Premier Li pointed out that agricultural cooperation between China and CEE countries is gradually deepening. New achievements have been constantly made in science and technology innovation and cooperation, investment and production capacity cooperation, production and trade of featuring agricultural and livestock products.

The theme of this meeting, “innovation and green development, new opportunities for agricultural investment trade cooperation”, is in response to the common concerns and expectations about agricultural development from the international community today, said the Premier.

He also added that it helps China and CEE countries to complement each other and adds new drivers to promote regional and global agricultural products trade, investment and sustainable development.

This meeting is co-organized by the Ministry of Agriculture of China and attended by agriculture ministers of the 16 CEE countries and enterprise representatives.