Chinese companies interested in collaborating with Moldovan winemakers

Chisinau, 17 December /MOLDPRES/ - Chamber of Commerce President Valeriu Lazar on 16 December met Deputy Director of the Department of wine and vineyard of Yantai City, Shandong Province of China, Zhang Jia Yu, accompanied by a group of business people from the region that provides about 30 per cent of the wine on the Chinese market. They came to Moldova to negotiate a contract on import of wine with one of the local producers, as well as to find new partners for cooperation, the CCI press service has reported.

"Moldova is a wine country and produces high quality wines", said the Chinese official at the meeting. The companies from the Shandong region cover about 30 per cent of the wine consumption in China. Nonetheless, a certain deficit is still felt on the market, which the Department of wine and vineyard from Yantai intends to partially fill with wines from Moldova, according to the official. He noted that one of the largest sea terminals for imports of wine to China would be opened in the region in next January, that would facilitate the import logistics schemes.

Valeriu Lazar welcomed the interest of Chinese companies in Moldovan wines, considering the Chinese market as extremely important for Moldovan producers seeking to diversify markets. "Over the past 20 years, there have been heavy investments in Moldovan wine-making sector, on the whole chain of production - from vine to technology promotion and sale. Our winemakers effectively combine 5000-year-old traditions with new technologies and are at the same level with the most efficient producers of the world, "said the CCI president.

Valeriu Lazar also expressed full willingness of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to facilitate contacts between business people from both countries, offering expertise and certification services for the goods, assessing the creditworthiness of companies, etc., and invited the Chinese side to visit the National Exhibition "Made in Moldova".  Lazar expressed interest in organising business missions to China; he was invited to participate in wine fairs in Shanghai in April and in Shandong in November 2015.

CCI President Valeriu Lazar called for expanding cooperation from trade relations to investment ones, noting that the products made in Moldova had access in the free trade regime on the EU market, which had the highest purchasing power, and the geographical proximity reduced logistics costs.