Pan Feng, vice president of the China-Europe Association for Technical & Economic Cooperation (CEATEC) Photo: Li Hao/GT

The China-EU agreement on geographical indications (GI) helps premium Chinese products expand into international markets and sell for higher prices, Pan Feng, vice president of the China-Europe Association for Technical & Economic Cooperation (CEATEC), told the Global Times during the China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE).

The current expo marks the second time that China-EU geographical indications have been introduced as an important topic at the CICPE. Pan said he hopes to use the platform of the expo to let more government agencies and producers realize the importance of GI in facilitating China-Europe trade.

The China-EU agreement on geographical indications first took effect on March 1, 2021. It was China's first comprehensive, high-level bilateral agreement on GIs, with the aim of facilitating exports and imports of related products.

A GI is a label used for identifying the geographical origin of a product, and is an important type of intellectual property right. According to the agreement, 100 GIs from each side, in areas such as liquor, tea, food and farm produce, are now protected.

With the mutual recognition of geographical indications between China and the EU, more and more high-quality European products are being discovered and imported to China to meet the Chinese people's demand for more high-quality products.

After the agreement initially took effect, 96 geographical indication products from Europe, mainly wine, cheese and ham, were protected in the Chinese market. With the growing recognition of European geographical indications in China, more and more high-quality European products will enter China, Pan said.

"Perhaps what we need to worry about is whether Europe can meet the huge demand of the Chinese market," Pan said.

The entry into force of the agreement also opened the door for high-quality Chinese products to enter Europe. According to the agreement, the first batch of 100 famous geographical indications in China, such as Anxi Tieguanyin tea, Wuchang rice and Ganzhou oranges, have already received EU protection, and the second batch of 175 geographical indications is expected to receive protection in 2025.

Through the China-EU GI certification, a number of high-quality Chinese products can find more international markets and sell at higher prices, Pan said.

For example, Shu Xiu, a kind of embroidery from Southwest China's Sichuan Province, can sell at prices 5 to 10 times higher in the international market thanks to the agreement, Pan said.

"As the European geographical indication certification is widely recognized worldwide, it also will be easier for Chinese products to enter other markets," Pan said.