Beyond Russian oil, China also increases appetite for Ukrainian wheat flour

Harvesters gather wheat in Zghurivka, Ukraine, in August 2022.

Photo: AP China is expanding its agricultural trade with Ukraine with further opening of its wheat flour market, a move that underscores its pragmatism and balanced diplomacy as it also increases energy imports from Russia.

On Monday, China’s ambassador to Ukraine, Ma Shengkun, signed a protocol with Ukrainian officials regarding inspection, quarantine and sanitary requirements for the export of Ukrainian wheat flour to China, the embassy in Kyiv said in a social media post .

The agreement would broaden agricultural cooperation and enrich the “strategic partnership” between the two nations, the post quoted Ma as saying.

Noting that the agricultural sectors of China and Ukraine were highly complementary, Ma said China was willing to strengthen cooperation, which had significant potential, to benefit the people of both countries.

Ukraine’s deputy minister of economy, environment and agriculture, Iryna Ovcharenko, said China was Ukraine’s top trading partner and a critical destination for its agricultural exports.

Ovcharenko expressed confidence that the protocol would drive growth in bilateral trade, adding that Kyiv was eager to continue increasing the variety of agricultural products exported to China.

Serhii Tkachuk, head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, said in a statement posted on social media on Monday that the move was “not just about expanding export geography, but also about a qualitative transformation – a transition from a raw-material model to the export of finished goods”.

In March last year, the two countries signed two protocols that opened the Chinese market to Ukrainian peas and wild aquatic products.

According to Chinese customs data, the value of bilateral trade dropped 2.6 per cent year on year to US$7.79 billion last year.

Agricultural products – including barley – and iron ore dominated the top 10 Chinese imports from Ukraine by value.

China also imports barley from Russia, but its primary imports from the country by value remain oil and gas.

The value of trade between China and Russia fell 6.9 per cent last year to US$228.1 billion – which was still the third-highest level on record.

With the war between Russia and Ukraine entering its fifth year, Beijing has consistently called for all the parties involved to seek a resolution through negotiation.

Sun Lei, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, welcomed an i

原文链接: 南华早报