China, Argentina sign farm trade deals

Argentina and China signed five farm product deals during Agriculture Minister Julian Dominguez’s trade visit to Beijing, giving a boost to economic ties between the two countries, AFP reported. The agreements cover meat, barley, dairy, apple and bamboo. Currently, Argentina is China’s third largest supplier of food behind the United States and Brazil. China is its largest customer for soybean oil, among other agricultural exports. Trade between the two nations has risen from US$4 billion in 2004 to US$14 billion in 2008. And China is the South American country’s second largest trading partner after Brazil, and ahead of the European Union.