Wu Hongyao, member of the leading Party Members’ Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and Director General of the Secretariat of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Rural Affairs, met with Mart J？rvik, Minister of Rural Affairs of Estonia. Wu and Siim Tiidemann, Vice Minister of Rural Affairs of Estonia, co-chaired the second meeting of the China-Estonia Agricultural Cooperation Working Group in Tallinn between September 22-24. They exchanged their views on deepening bilateral cooperation in agriculture and rural affairs. 

Wu said agricultural cooperation between China and Estonia has maintained good momentum in recent years. Agricultural trade has steadily increased; cooperation mechanisms have been continuously improved; and agricultural cooperation has become an important component of the bilateral relation. China is willing to work with Estonia to enhance multilateral and bilateral exchanges and cooperation, deepen agricultural cooperation between China and the Central and Eastern European countries (China-CEEC, also known as “17+1”), and advance practical cooperation in the fields of agricultural trade, science and technology, human resources, food safety, fisheries and rural development, in order to promote the all-round development of bilateral cooperation in agriculture and rural affairs. 

Tiidemann said Estonia remains committed to working with China to push forward agricultural cooperation between China and the CEEC, as well as strengthening cooperation with China in agricultural trade, agricultural science and technology and personnel exchange. Tiidemann said Estonia will fully implement the action plan for agricultural cooperation, while continuously expanding its scope and raising the level of cooperation. 

The two sides jointly signed the Minutes of Meeting. During his stay in Estonia, Wu also made a study tour on the development of Estonia’s agriculture and its rural areas.