Harnessing overseas Chinese strength to boost global reach of “Zhejiang Premium Agro-Products”

Using the overseas Chinese community as a bridge and agricultural heritage as a foundation, a new momentum for millennia-old agricultural heritage is being activated to propel premium agro-products onto the global stage and contribute to rural revitalization and common prosperity.

On June 13, the 20th Anniversary of Qingtian Agricultural Heritage & Premium Agro-Products Export Promotion Event officially opened at the Youzhu Sports Center in Qingtian County, Zhejiang Province. The event is co-hosted by Qingtian Qiaoxiang Import Commodity City Group Co., Ltd. and Qingtian County Agricultural Tourism Development and Investment Co., Ltd., under the guidance of the Zhejiang Agricultural Products Import and Export Enterprise Association.

Integrating Agricultural Heritage and Overseas Chinese Resources to Build an International Showcase

Recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), the Qingtian Rice-Fish Symbiosis has stood the test of time for two decades, becoming a prime example of China's agricultural ecological wisdom.

With the theme “Zhejiang Premium Agro-Products, Qingtian Going Global”, the two-day event runs through June 14. By leveraging Qingtian's unique position as a hub for overseas Chinese and its extensive global network, the event features a large-scale export promotion fair spanning 6,000 square meters. It gathers 84 premium agro-product producers from across Zhejiang, representatives from agricultural heritage sites, and over 300 domestic and international buyers — merging agricultural heritage with global elements to realize the goal of taking “Zhejiang Premium Agro-Products, Qingtian Going Global”.

Leaders from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Lishui Municipal Government attended the opening ceremony. During the event, Global Overseas Chinese Procurement Intelligence was officially released. The Agro-Product Export Policy Research Center was unveiled, marking a key step forward for Qingtian in agricultural standardization and international trade.

Additionally, the “Zhejiang Agricultural Heritage Select” brand initiative was launched, alongside major achievements in the conservation and utilization of Zhejiang’s key agricultural heritage systems and the 20-year research outcomes of the Qingtian Rice-Fish Symbiosis. Official certifications were also awarded to newly registered agro-product export bases.

Building Trade Bridges and Export Platforms to Promote “Qingtian Premium Agro-Products” Worldwide

As the core part of the event, the export promotion exhibition includes 74 standard booths and 6 special pavilions, showcasing premium agricultural products and agricultural-heritage-themed cultural and creative products from Zhejiang. On the first day, many companies reached preliminary cooperation agreements with overseas buyers.

A representative of Qingtian County Agricultural Tourism Development and Investment Co., Ltd. noted:

“Qingtian enjoys a unique advantage in its overseas Chinese resources — with 381,000 Chinese nationals residing across 146 countries and regions, forming a vast and efficient 'Overseas Chinese Trade Network.' We aim to activate this distinctive resource deeply, build an integrated online and offline marketing system, and promote our specialty products through word-of-mouth and targeted outreach in overseas Chinese communities. At the same time, we are creating an export platform by strengthening source quality control and brand building to ensure excellence in both product quality and cultural value. This will lead to a premium upgrade from ‘Zhejiang Agro-Products’ to ‘Qingtian Select.’”