Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture

China has been granted observer status in IICA

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The relationship was formalized by Tang Heng, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Costa Rica.

IICA’s Deputy Director General, Lloyd Day (right), accepts the official letter from China requesting observer status in the Institute.  The letter was handed over by China’s Ambassador to Costa Rica, Tang Heng (center), who was accompanied by the Head of the Embassy’s Science and Technology Division, Raúl Lee and Attaché, Huang Xunyi.

San José, 17 August 2018 (IICA). The People’s Republic of China became the latest observer country of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), which will allow the Asian giant to participate in meetings of the hemispheric organization’s governing bodies and to further expand its ties with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), by generating opportunities for agricultural development.

The status was made official during a visit by Chinese Ambassador to Costa Rica, Tang Heng, to IICA Headquarters.

The Ambassador maintained that, “IICA is an essential platform to promote the development of countries in the region.  We look forward to collaborating with the Institute and to use this platform to strengthen our cooperation.  Agriculture is an extremely important sector to us, food security being one of the priorities”.

Heng went on to explain that, “There are many opportunities for cooperation in the trade of agricultural products with China, given the immense size of its market. We will need to import a large number of products from the region and there is tremendous potential for cooperation and mutual progress in the area of research in technologies for agricultural development”.

China’s observer status in IICA will also foster join action in the areas of trade, agricultural health, research, innovation and technology transfer, as well as experience-sharing for the benefit of agriculture in the Americas.

“IICA is a bridge that can facilitate this rapprochement between the Americas and China, as well as strengthen relationships and contribute to agricultural development in our region,” stated the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero.

Otero expressed that agriculture is one of the priorities in negotiations between China and Latin America and pointed out that the Institute can assume an important technical role in this process.

IICA’s Deputy Director General, Lloyd Day, gave his assurance that the new relationship with China represents a great opportunity for the Institute’s member countries.

He argued that, “This is a nation that is investing in Latin America and looking to it as a food supplier for its well-being.  China will use the regional platform offered by IICA to work with the Ministries of Agriculture to further develop trade, and we will focus on matters such as health, the contribution of agriculture and research to development, and also to establish a closer relationship with research centers, universities and other entities”.

Latin America and the Caribbean provides almost 30% of the agricultural products imported by China, and the Asian country accounts for more than 13% of LAC’s agricultural exports.

IICA’s other observer countries are Germany, Austria, Belgium, Russia, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Holland, Egypt, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Poland, Romania, the European Union, Turkey and Spain (associate country). 

About IICA

IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, with a mission to encourage, promote and support its 34 Member States in their efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.

More information:

Isaac Zúñiga Keith, journalist, IICA.

isaac.zuniga@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

San Jose, Costa Rica

June 30, 2025

More than 150 young Costa Ricans present innovative solutions to transform agriculture at the IICA 2025 Robotics Challenge

The competition featured 39 teams and enabled young participants to gain skills in robotics, data science, and emerging technologies, while contributing through their initiatives to the sustainability and modernization of the agri-food sector.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Ribeirao Preto, Brasil

June 27, 2025

At the IFAMA World Conference, IICA Director General underscored the need to build a new narrative for agriculture to be recognized as essential for solutions to planetary challenges

The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, participated in Brazil in one of the largest global conferences in the agricultural sector, IFAMA, where he emphasized the need to build a new narrative highlighting the essential role of agriculture in the Americas as part of the solution to the challenges facing humanity.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Montreal, Canadá

June 26, 2025

Countries of the Americas positioned themselves as global suppliers of sustainable aviation fuels at key industry event held in Montreal

The Pan American Coalition on Liquid Biofuels (CPBIO) had a prominent role at the Aviation Climate Week of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), held in Montreal (Canada), with the participation of leading actors in the sector who discussed the latest developments in environmental matters.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins