On April 21, 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries of Mozambique signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on agricultural standardization cooperation. The agreement was signed by SAMR Commissioner Luo Wen and Mozambican Minister Roberto Albino.
The MOU is designed to implement the cooperation initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, which calls for the “development of 100,000 mu (approximately 6,667 hectares) of agricultural standardization demonstration areas” in Africa. It aims to provide institutional support for advancing the China-Mozambique agricultural (fisheries) standardization cooperation demonstration zone.
Under the agreement, both sides will develop and promote standardization systems for Mozambique’s distinctive livestock and aquaculture sectors, guide local farmers toward standardized agricultural production, jointly set a benchmark for China-Mozambique agricultural standardization cooperation, and inject new vitality into building a China-Mozambique community with a shared future in the new era.
The signing of this MOU builds on the outcomes of the 2024 FOCAC Summit. As an important part of the “China-Africa Quality Improvement Plan” proposed at the Summit, China committed to establishing 100,000 mu of agricultural standardization demonstration areas in Africa, alongside three other integrated initiatives: setting up a China-Africa Standardization Cooperation and Research Center, a China-Africa Trade Digital Mutual Trust Verification Platform, and a capacity-building program for conformity assessment. These initiatives aim to enhance the level of quality infrastructure in African countries through cooperation in metrology, standards, certification, and accreditation, thereby reducing the institutional transaction costs of China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.
Prior to this, China had already launched pilot standardized planting demonstrations for crops such as wheat and maize in Zambia. The signing of this MOU with Mozambique marks the official implementation of the above-mentioned top-level design in Mozambique and provides institutional guarantees for the development of the China-Mozambique agricultural (fisheries) standardization cooperation demonstration zone.
Using the China-Mozambique MOU on agricultural standardization as a lens, China-Africa trade is shifting from commodity exchange to rule alignment. Through various initiatives, China is promoting its standards across Africa. In Mozambique, this may gradually reduce the traditional advantages of European enterprises, which have relied on European standards to access local markets. For European firms to remain in the agricultural and fishery supply chains in Mozambique and similar markets, they may need to study emerging China-Africa rules and consider tripartite cooperation with Chinese and local partners.
Source: https://www.sac.gov.cn/xw/scjgyw/art/2026/art_a283e826cbb94abdbd86a768731dc48c.html
https://m.chinanews.com/wap/detail/zw/cj/2024/09-14/10286461.shtml
