Federal Minister for Agriculture Alois Rainer visits the German-Chinese Agricultural Centre (DCZ) in Beijing

A special milestone for the Sino-German Agricultural Centre (DCZ): On Jun 18, 2026, Alois Rainer, Federal Minister of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity, visited the DCZ project office in Beijing as part of his trip to China. It was the first visit by a German Federal Minister of Agriculture since the DCZ was established in 2015.

The DCZ is a cooperation project of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) and China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA). It is implemented by IAK Agrar Consulting GmbH (lead) and the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO).

Alois Rainer was accompanied by a delegation from the BMLEH, including Antje Frehse, Director-General for EU Affairs, Common Agricultural Policy, International Cooperation and Global Food Security. On the Chinese side, senior representatives of MARA and the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC) participated in the meeting, including Wu Changxue, Deputy Director-General of MARA’s Department of International Cooperation, Ma Zhigang, Deputy Director of the FECC, and Wang Geng, Chinese Team Leader of the DCZ.

Dr. Michaela Böhme, Managing Director of the DCZ, presented the development of the project as well as its key activities and achievements over recent years. Particular emphasis was placed on promoting agricultural policy dialogue, facilitating professional exchange between Germany and China, and strengthening cooperation among stakeholders from government, academia and the private sector.

Alois Rainer highlighted the importance of the DCZ as a key platform for bilateral agricultural cooperation. In light of global challenges such as food security, climate change and sustainable development, he stressed the particular value of close cooperation and professional exchange between Germany and China.

During his visit, the Minister was also briefed on the planned signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent between the BMLEH and MARA. The agreement is intended to provide the basis for the continuation of the DCZ and to further deepen bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector.

The visit underlines the high political importance that both Germany and China attach to their agricultural cooperation. For IAK, it also represents a special recognition of the work carried out over the past years and of the successful development of the DCZ.