CHINA, BRUNEI DISCUSS FARM SECTOR TIE-UP
China eyes business opportunities in Brunei Darussalam's agricultural sector, including the Brunei Halal Brand.
A media release from the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources said that Brunei Darussalam government officials and delegates from People's Republic of China held a closed door meeting to discuss bilateral collaboration in the agriculture and fisheries sector.
On top of expanding opportunities for Chinese producers to sell goods in Brunei, Chinese delegates also expressed interest in the Brunei Halal Brand, Huang Hongtao, second secretary (economic and commercial) for the Embassy of the People's Republic of China told The Brunei Times yesterday.
China's Vice Minister of Agriculture Niu Dun is heading the delegation on a working visit here on October 23-25.
"Partnering with other food producing countries is our strategy and the People's Republic of China is the potential partner to provide us with the requirement for high quality raw material to be processed as Halal value added products," said Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Haji Hamdilah Haji Abdul Wahab.
"The 30 million Muslim population in the People's Republic of China enhanced further the collaboration in Halal," the deputy minister remarked in his welcoming speech. He also extended an invitation to Chinese investors to consider opportunities offered by the AgroTechnology Park especially in the halal food manufacturing and related sectors.
As part of the sultanate's efforts in enhancing trade relations with China, Brunei will also take part in the 4th China-ASEAN Expo to be held in Nanning, the capital of the southern Guanxi Zhuang region in China later this month.
- by Wani Abdul Gapar, The Brunei Times, Thursday, October 25, 2007