BEIJING (Sputnik) — Russian Economic Development Minister Alexey Ulyukaev said Tuesday that the possibility existed to start deliveries of Russian pork and beef to China in early 2016.
"I believe that there is an opportunity [to start deliveries of meat] in the beginning of next year,” Ulyukaev said, following a session of the Russian-Chinese sub-commission on trade and economic cooperation.
The Chinese inspection, which visited Russia in October, made positive conclusions about Russian-produced meat, according to Ulyukaev.
“And there is no reason not to make the step that we plan, that is, opening access for Russian pork and beef to the Chinese market," the minister said.
He stressed that this was an important project estimated to generate "hundreds of millions of dollars."
After Russia’s relations with the West deteriorated following the start of the 2014 Ukraine crisis, Moscow boosted its cooperation with Beijing.
Russia and China are actively cooperating in a number of fields, including energy, infrastructure, finance and defense.
Earlier in the day, Ulyukaev said that Russian-Chinese bilateral cooperation is showing a positive development trend, with large-scale projects in transport infrastructure, the aviation industry, and nuclear energy underway.
