The 2026 ASEAN-China (Henan) Cooperation and Development Conference on Food and Agriculture and the 5th "Belt and Road" (Henan) International Agricultural Cooperation Expo opened in the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone. Political figures and industry delegates from ASEAN nations gathered in Henan to explore new pathways for cross-border coordination in the grain and agricultural sector.
In an exclusive interview during the event, Sujairi bin Abdullah, Secretary of the Senate of Malaysia, spoke highly of Henan's achievements in modern agriculture. He voiced hope that enterprises from Malaysia and Henan could establish joint venture platforms to consolidate regional food security through technology exchange and industrial collaboration.
Sujairi bin Abdullah spoke favorably of agricultural development in China and Henan. As a major agricultural province of China, Henan features large-scale, robust modern agriculture. It is a front-runner in cutting-edge areas, including smart farming and blockchain-enabled agriculture, with proven technologies and strong industrial innovation that Malaysia can learn from. The conference brings together high-quality exhibitors and state-of-the-art agricultural innovations, demonstrating the strong momentum of digitalized and modernized agriculture in Henan, with plenty of advanced practices for Malaysia to draw on.
Sujairi bin Abdullah said Malaysia aims to introduce advanced agricultural technologies from Henan to upgrade its agriculture and food industries and drive high-quality industrial growth. For practical future cooperation, he put forward a clear proposal: encouraging local Malaysian businesses and characteristic industries to set up joint ventures with Henan agricultural enterprises for in-depth industrial cooperation.
In his view, cross-border joint ventures deliver mutual benefits and two-way empowerment. Henan's mature agricultural technology system and complete industrial chain, combined with Malaysia's geographical edge, market access, and resource strengths, can steadily reinforce the agricultural industrial base of both sides, optimize the grain and agricultural structure, jointly safeguard regional food security, and improve people's well-being in both places.
In the first three quarters of 2026, Henan's import and export volume with ASEAN reached 112.91 billion yuan, a year-on-year rise of 30.6%. ASEAN remains Henan's largest trading partner. In the first eight months, Henan's trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached 312.92 billion yuan, up 14.9% year on year. The expanding trade volume reflects Henan's deepening ties with global markets and creates opportunities for local agricultural firms to go global and engage in international industrial cooperation. To date, more than 800 premium, distinctive, and newly developed agricultural products from Henan have entered overseas markets, and Henan food products are exported to over 160 countries and regions. Henan continues to unleash its vitality in agricultural opening-up.
(By Liu Rui from Henan)
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