On 26 March, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchange ceremony between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) was held at FAO headquarters in Rome. Representatives of several FAO departments and the CCOIC delegation attended the exchange ceremony and the following meeting. 

The meeting emphasized the significance of strategic cooperation between FAO and CCOIC and discussed concrete plans for future cooperation and interaction. Areas of cooperation covered the trade promotion in China in line with the SDGs, capacity building in the sustainable agri-food systems and agricultural development, and knowledge and information sharing.

During the meeting, Chen Jian’an, Vice Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Vice Chairman of CCOIC, met with the representatives of Partnerships and UN Collaboration Division (PSU), Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER), South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division (PST), Markets and Trade Division (EST), Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division (ESF), and the Hand-in-Hand Initiative of FAO to discuss extensively on sustainable agricultural development and other topics. 

CCOIC is one of the most influential business associations in China. The signing of the MoU will effectively advance in-depth cooperation between FAO and CCOIC and encourage the Chinese business community to contribute to transforming the agri-food systems and achieving the SDGs.