The Conference on Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road (2025) was held on October 15 in Shanghai. Zhao Zenglian, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China, briefed the media on the conference outcomes and joined John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture of South Africa, and Ivan Smilgin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Belarus, in a Q&A session with journalists.
Zhao Zenglian, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends from the Media,
Let me, on behalf of the General Administration of Customs of China, extendour sincere appreciation to the media for your consistent interest in and support of Customs work. Your active efforts in highlighting China Customs' contributions to global food safety governance are particularly valued.We have just successfully convened the Conference on Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road, centered on the theme “Deepen INTL Cooperation for Shared Trade Safety & Facilitation”I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the key outcomes from the conference.
Sampling local delicacies has long been a highlight for international travelers. A key priority we share with our global counterparts is to bring more diverse and delicious foods from around the world directly to Chinese consumers. I am delighted to highlight one of the major outcomes of this conference: the documents here - what we call the "Food Access Permits"- are the newly signed cooperation protocols that allow agri-food products from partner countries to be exported to China. In total, we have signed 14 new cooperation protocols with 10 countries, granting market access for 15 new categories of agricultural and food products to China. These include everything from South African stone fruits and Turkish seafood to Iranian kiwifruit and Uzbek dried cherries. What were once distant delicacies are now becoming readily accessible, thanks to the pathways opened by the Belt and Road Initiative.
Since the formal establishment of the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative in 2023, we have signed 197 agricultural and food product access documents with relevant countries and approved more than 428,000 overseas agri-food production enterprises for export to China. In the first three quarters of this year, food trade between China and Belt and Road partner countries reached 915.24 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.5 percent. This truly reflects our shared commitment to facilitating trade, strengthening food safety controls, and ensuring the benefits of food security cooperation are widely shared.
This conference has elevated the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative to a new level.
Through the joint efforts, candid communication, and practical collaboration of all participating parties, the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative has gained increasing recognition among partner countries and attracted broader and more active participation. The conference set new participation records in both the number of participants and the level of representation since the mechanism's establishment, with more than 100 representatives from 21 countries in attendance. Notably, this marks the first time the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has taken part in the conference. In addition, 11 countries, including Uzbekistan and Bolivia, have newly signed the Terms of Reference for Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism for the Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative. These milestones collectively signal that the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative has entered a new and more mature stage of development.
Let me share a telling episode from this afternoon's proceedings: one country formally expressed its intention to join the cooperation mechanism. This development speaks volumes about the growing appeal and credibility of the cooperation mechanism.
The conference has served as a pivotal platform for building substantial new consensus on the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative.
The four initiatives, namely the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), andthe Global Governance Initiative (GGI), proposed by President Xi Jinping,offer what can be described as an effective “Chinese key,” one that has been increasingly recognized by the international community and, more importantly, provides a solid conceptual foundation for Customs of China in advancing Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative.During the conference, participating parties strengthened their consensus and jointly adopted and released theShanghai Declaration on Jointly Promoting Trade Facilitation and Sharing Food Safety. This document, which further consolidates mutual understanding on deepening Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative and promoting safer and more facilitated trade, stands as a major outcome of this conference.
The conference has also yielded new and substantive achievements in Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative is now transitioning from broad conceptual planning to detailed implementation, advancing both landmark programs and targeted "small yet smart" projects. During this conference, we signed 14 bilateral cooperation protocols, granting most-recent market access for 15 new categories of agricultural and food products. Just prior to the conference, we successfully conducted the second training session on Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative here in Shanghai. And this afternoon, the newly developed "Silk Road Food Safety" information platform was officially launched. These concrete outcomes will undoubtedly inject fresh momentum and vitality into our joint pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Food trade has long transcended geographical barriers in its journey from farm to table. Only through global governance can we ensure that safety in one place means security everywhere. At present, the Chinese government is in a crucial phase of formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan. Customs of China will leverage this conference as an opportunity to strategically shape the future direction of Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative, turning the blueprint for cooperation into tangible benefits for people in partner countries. We warmly welcome more countries and regions to join the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative, working together to enhance the safety and facilitation of food trade.In closing, I wish to once again express our sincere appreciation to our friends from the media for your coverage and interest in this conference.
Thank you!
China Media Group: You just highlighted the Shanghai Declaration on Jointly Promoting Trade Facilitation and Sharing Food Safety as a key outcome document of this year’sConference on Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road. Could you share more details or key features of the Shanghai Declaration?
Zhao Zenglian, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs: Thank you for your interest. Food safety is fundamental to public welfare and popular sentiment, and a matter of high importance to the international community. In today's interconnected global food chain, food safety can only be effectively safeguarded through global governance - where nations jointly set standards, share information, and prevent risks.The Shanghai Declaration on Jointly Promoting Trade Facilitation and Sharing Food Safety systematically summarizes the outcomes achieved at this year’sConference on Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road and embodies the broad consensus reached among all participants. It articulates shared aspirations and concerns, outlines future collaborative directions, and stands as a concrete step taken by members to actively implement the Global Governance Initiative in the area of food safety.
The main elements of the Shanghai Declaration can be summarized as "Four Commons". First, Common Goals and Principles - upholding the principles of safety co-construction, development sharing, rule mutual-learning, and collaborative governance, guided by compliance with international rule of law and the practice of multilateralism, to deepen cooperation in areas including mutual recognition of food safety governance concepts, joint improvement of international rules, coordinated implementation of whole-process supervision, and collective response to issues and risks.Second, Common Enhancement of Governance Capacity and Standard - strengthening training in testing technologies, facilitating laboratory proficiency comparison and verification, and sharing best practices in regulations and standards, so as to enhance smart regulatory capabilities.Third, Common Adoption of Safe and Facilitation Measures - streamlining market access for high-quality food products, deepening cooperation in the registration of food producers, promoting credit-based management to enhance import and export food supervision, and continuously enriching the policy toolkit for cross-border trade facilitation.Fourth, Common Development of the "Silk Road Food Safety" Information Platform - leveraging new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence to deepen policy coordination and information sharing in the area of agricultural and food product safety, thereby deepening policy coordination and information exchange in agri-food safety, which will facilitate the sharing of policies, alignment of regulatory standards, and greater transparency and efficiency in supervision.
The Shanghai Declaration is not an end point, but a new starting point for building a global food safety governance system together. Guided by the spirit of the Silk Road, which is embodied in peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, and mutual benefit, we are ready to work with all partners to actively implement the Global Governance Initiative in the field of food safety, promote cross-border food trade facilitation, and advance the shared goal of global food safety.
China Daily: South Africa was among the first group of countries to join the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative. Having participated for over two years, what has been your experience? How do you view its role in deepening bilateral food safety cooperation and facilitating food trade?
John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture of South Africa: I am John Steenhuisen, Minister of Agriculture of South Africa. It is a great honor to take part in the Conference on Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road (2025). South Africa signed theTerms of Reference for Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism for the Countries of the Belt and Road Initiativein 2023. As a partner country, we have tangibly experienced the important role this cooperation mechanism plays in advancing food safety co-governance between South Africa and China.Our officials have attended the training programunderImport & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative, gaining a comprehensive understanding of China’s legal and regulatory requirements for imported food. This has enabled closer regulatory cooperation with the General Administration of Customs of China and helped strengthen the compliance capacity of South African producers exporting to China.Within the framework of the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative, our two countries signed the Protocol on Inspection, Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for Dairy Products Exported from the Republic of South Africa to the People’s Republic of China, as well as the Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Fresh Avocado Fruits From South Africa to the People’s Republic of China. Thanks to these protocols, our products have gained smooth access to the Chinese market.During this conference, bilateral talks between me andMinister of the General Administration of Customs, Ms Sun Meijun, were held. We shared South Africa’s policies and management practices in the food and agricultural sector, and signed new protocols. I am confident that these products, will soon make their way to dining tables across China, too.Under the principle of “Jointly Promoting Trade Facilitation and Sharing Food Safety”, we stand ready to further deepen food sector cooperation with China and work together to make the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative a model for global food safety governance.
Xinhua News Agency: As a new signatory to the Terms of Reference for Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism for the Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative, how would you assess this year’sConference on Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road? What are your expectations forthe Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative?
Ivan Smilgin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Belarus: Thank you for the question. On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus, I would first like to extend our sincere appreciation to the General Administration of Customs of China for organizing this significant conference. We are honored to formally join the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative as a new member. This conference reflects the continued growth and vitality of this cooperation mechanism, as well as the increasing global recognition of the vision for international food safety governance.
I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight that agriculture is a source of national pride for Belarus. Our food products have earned the trust of consumers in more than 100 countries around the world.
We fully endorse the proposals put forward by Ms Sun Meijun, the Minister of the General Administration of Customs, during the opening session. All parties should learn from each other’s recent experiences and achievements, jointly examine emerging trends and challenges in food safety, and work together to shape the future direction of collaboration.
Belarus actively supports the four-point initiative presented by Minister Sun.
During this conference, we signed new export protocols with China’s General Administration of Customs, including one for turkey meat, and gained valuable insights from the food safety regulatory experiences shared by other countries. These outcomes will undoubtedly help further facilitate food trade between all participating nations and China.
Let me once again express our gratitude to the Chinese side. We look forward to using this momentum to share food safety supervision experience with other member countries, help reduce trade restrictions and technical barriers, and foster a more enabling environment for cross-border trade.
For decades, Belarus and China have been committed to deepening our partnership. Our two countries are truly “ironclad brothers,” consistently offering sincere and steadfast support to each other. It is in this spirit that we hope more nations will join this “pledge for food safety,” just as Belarus and China have done, and work together to advance safe and smooth food trade.
Thank you.
Wen Wei Po: Could you elaborate on the trade facilitation measures that theImport & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative will offer to its participants?
Zhao Zenglian, Vice Minister of the General Administration of Customs: Thank you for your question. This is indeed a key concern for all participating countries and represents the very vitality of our cooperation mechanism. The Belt & Road Initiative serves as a pathway for culinary cultural exchange and a channel for sharing regional specialty foods. Safety forms the foundation of this Silk Road - one that requires collective effort to build, maintain, and protect by all participating countries.The founding purpose of the Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation Mechanism of the Belt & Road Initiative is to deepen collaboration with partner countries and a wider range of stakeholders in the area of agricultural and food product safety, jointly enhance food safety governance capacity, and continuously expand the scale and facilitation of cross-border agri-food trade. To further develop and refine facilitation measures under this cooperation mechanism, China has voluntarily taken the lead in introducing the following measures:
First, expediting market access procedures.Under the principle of risk controllability, we will prioritize market access applications from partner countries under this mechanism. A recent example is the consensus reached with 10 countries during this conference on market access for 15 products, all built on mutual trust and cooperation.Second, streamlining producer registration.Based on established cooperation experience and system evaluation results, we will implement list-based and batch registration for food producers in partner countries. The coffee served at this conference, for instance, reflects the efficiency gained from our recent optimized registration of 284 overseas coffee producers.Third, enhancing food safety supervision capacity.Prior to this conference, we had already organized two capacity-building training sessions for officialsin charge of food safety supervision from partner countries. Going forward, we will continue to deliver such training programs by fully leveraging the training resources of Customs of China.Fourth, establishing dedicated contact teams.We will assign specialized teams to coordinate on key products of concern to partner countries, such as dairy, aquatic products, and fruits, enabling timely communication and prioritized resolution of relevant issues.
We look forward to working with all participating countries to continuously refine the cooperation mechanism, develop more mutually beneficial facilitation measures, and explore new avenues for higher-level, more resilient, and sustainable win-win development. Our goal is not only to enable delicacies to “flow in and out” smoothly, but also to ensure that consumers can enjoy them with assurance, confidence, and satisfaction. This has been our founding aspiration for Import & Export Food Safety Cooperation of the Belt & Road Initiative.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of China Inspection and Quarantine Times. The China Inspection and Quarantine Times version shall prevail.
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