"Argentina is a great agricultural power and strategic partner. We're interested in boosting our mutual bilateral relation with Argentine businessmen," Han told the Chamber of Commerce of Rosario, Argentina's third largest city and biggest farming hub, over the weekend.

Kirchner and Chen's meeting signaled warming trade relations between the two countries after China suspended soybean oil imports from Argentina from May to October, in retaliation to Kirchner's restrictions on Chinese imports last year amid the global economic crisis.

Argentina is the world's largest exporter of soybean oil, and China is one of its biggest customers -- it supplies 70 percent of China's soybean oil imports (4.6 million tons in 2009) for some two billion dollars a year.

Argentina is the third largest supplier of agricultural products to China after the United States and Brazil, according to official statistics.

"China is a strategic partner for Argentina's consolidation as one of the world's leading food suppliers, and our priority is strengthening our relations in the agro-industrial sector," said Argentina's Agriculture Minister Julian Dominguez.

Dominguez in two weeks will visit China to open an agriculture office in Shanghai, seal a beer hops exporting deal and seek to boost beef exports to China, said officials in Buenos Aires.

In 2009, Argentine agricultural exports to China reached four billion dollars, exceeding the country's shipments to other Asian countries, the European Union and the other three Mercosur countries -- Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Sales of soybean, poultry, cattle hides, peanut oil and other products to China have since grown, reaching 5.1 billion dollars by September.

The South American country is the world's largest exporter of sunflower oil, a leading exporter of soybean oil and among the top five exporters of soybean and corn.

More than a third of Argentina's exports are in agricultural products, which analysts say could fetch some 25 billion dollars during the 2010-2011 season.

earlier related report
Costa Rica, China sign techno-economic pact
San Jose (AFP) Nov 15, 2010 - China and Costa Rica Monday signed a 29.9 million dollar cooperation agreement that will help complete the construction of a National Stadium in San Jose, paid for totally by Beijing, the Foreign Ministry said. The technology and economic cooperation agreement signed by Foreign Minister Rene Castro and China's deputy Trade Minister Zhong Shan is the fourth accord concluded by the two countries since they established diplomatic relations in 2007, a ministry statement said. Over the past three years, china has granted Costa Rica 130 million dollars in non-refundable aid, 75 million of which has been used to build a modern stadium in western San Jose.

Chinese aid has also gone to help victims of recent weather-related catastrophes, to buy police vehicles and fund scholarship programs. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Roverssi said China's future projects in China include building a four-lane highway from San Jose to Costa Rica's chief Caribbean port city of Limon, 110 kilometers (70 miles) to the east. Trade between Costa Rica and China peaked at 3.18 billion dollars last year, 10.8 percent more than in 2008.

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