Moldova seeks access to Chinese food market

Mihai Popșoi held a meeting today in Beijing with Zhang Zhu. The officials discussed opportunities to develop Moldova–China relations in agriculture and agri-food trade, with a focus on modernizing agriculture and facilitating trade exchanges, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES.

Popșoi stressed that agriculture is an important sector for the economy of the Republic of Moldova. He highlighted the high quality of Moldovan agri-food products, due to fertile soils and agricultural tradition, and expressed interest in expanding access to the Chinese market.

He said the talks included expanding exports of Moldovan products to China, such as fruit, honey, oils, and grains. Moldova is also seeking to strengthen its presence in the Chinese wine market and has proposed reducing customs tariffs on wine imports. He noted that China is the main Asian market for Moldovan wine.

Popșoi also discussed opportunities offered by Chinese e-commerce platforms to promote Moldovan products and strengthen their presence in China.

A special focus was placed on advancing technical procedures and completing phytosanitary protocols needed to export new categories of Moldovan products.

In response, Chinese Agriculture Minister Zhang Zhu noted that China has one of the world’s largest digital trade networks. He invited Moldovan producers and companies to open “Made in Moldova” stores and platforms on Chinese e-commerce systems.

He also invited a Moldovan delegation from the agriculture and wine sectors to participate in the 47th International Congress of Vine and Wine, which will take place in October 2026 in Ningxia, China.

Deputy Prime Minister Popșoi is visiting China from May 21–25 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation in economic, trade, investment, cultural, educational, and tourism fields.

The last visit by a Moldovan Foreign Minister to China took place in 2018.

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