Today, China and the European Union signed a bilateral agreement to protect 100 Chinese geographical indications in Europe and 100 European geographical indications in China. This agreement follows the negotiations of the cooperation and protection agreement on Geographical Indications (GIs) between the EU and China during the Shanghai International Fair held on November 6, 2019.

With more than 3,300 European names registered as geographical indications, the Union’s quality policy aims to protect the names of specific products in order to promote their unique characteristics linked to their geographical origin and traditional know-how. The Chinese market is a market with high growth potential for the European food and beverage sector. In 2019, China was the EU’s third largest agri-food export destination, accounting for EUR 14.5 billion. It is also the second destination for EU exports of products protected by a geographical indication, accounting for 9% in value, including wines, agri-food products and spirit drinks. The agreement will also allow European consumers to discover authentic Chinese specialties.