Deng Xiaogang, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, visited Chile from Aug. 21–22 at the invitation of the Ministry of Agriculture of Chile. He held talks with Claudia Sanhueza Riveros, Under-Secretary for International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture in Santiago. They exchanged views on strengthening agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

Vice Minister Deng noted that, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China and Chile have witnessed significant outcomes in bilateral agricultural cooperation. The China-Chile demonstration farm in China has been successfully operating for over 20 years, becoming a prominent example of China-Chile cooperation. The two countries are also actively advancing the establishment of a Chile-China demonstration farm in Chile. Bilateral agro-trade is growing rapidly, with trade volume reaching USD 5.41 billion in 2023. China is now the largest importer of Chile agri-products.

Vice Minister Deng said that the purpose of his visit was to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state during their meeting in Beijing last October and to discuss with the Chilean side measures for pragmatic cooperation in agriculture. China hopes to implement the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Chile on China-Chile Demonstration Farm (2024-2027), so as to further ensure stable operation of the China-Chile demonstration farm. China also hopes to accelerate the establishment of the Chile-China demonstration farm in Chile, deepen cooperation in agricultural trade and investment, continue to explore new areas of cooperation, and leverage each other’s distinctive strengths, thereby enriching the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.   

Under-Secretary Sanhueza agreed with Vice Minister Deng’s suggestions, saying that Chile hopes to work with China to push for the development of the China-Chile demonstration farm both in Chile and China and expand agro-trade between the two countries.