Mark Godfrey is an Irish journalist covering the agriculture and fisheries sectors in Asia, with a focus on China. Proficient in Mandarin, he has frequently traveled across China's fisheries and aquaculture regions and learned the inner workings of China's corporate world during a nearly three-year stint at the Financial Times' “China Confidential” publication. He has also reported widely across Southeast Asia and the former Soviet Union. He has educational certificates in agriculture and food science, as well as Mandarin.
Author Archive
Later this year, Chinese officials in Beijing are set to welcome ambassadors from several African nations for the ninth edition of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), previous editions of which have led to the inking of many Chinese-backed infrastructure projects in Africa.
China has the largest diplomatic presence in Africa of any nation, operating 60 diplomatic posts across the continent. Economic ties between China and Africa have
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Formerly focused on breeding and growing scallops, Chinese seafood firm Zoneco is now focused on attracting processing and sourcing work for Western clients.
Zoneco has struggled with profitability since large-scale mortalities occurred in its scallop beds in 2014, 2017, and 2019 due to high water temperatures. It subsequently faced a string of legal cases brought by investors, the loss of its Marine Stewardship Council certification, and the
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China's seafood imports will grow in 2024, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
The USDA’s China Fishery Products Report, released 22 March 2024, predicts Chinese demand for salmon and lobster is set to continue rising, even after Chinese demand for Norwegian salmon spiked to its highest post-Covid-19 point in 2023.
"The longtime global leader in seafood consumption, Chinese consumers increasingly display
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An arbitration court in Hong Kong has decided against China Ocean Group Development Co. in its dispute with COFCO Capital (Hong Kong) Co. over an alleged breach of a bond-subscription agreement.
COFCO initiated arbitration proceedings with the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) against China Ocean Group, as well as company executives Liu Rongsheng and Liu Yi, in 2021. COFCO, a state-owned company, had purchased bonds that
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Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Tandes, Surabaya, Indonesia-based Bumi Menara Internusa that will see the two firms cooperate on shrimp sourcing and processing.
The agreement was one of several signed by Guolian at a recent exhibition of food ingredients targeted at the e-commerce sector in China. Guolian also signed a strategic cooperation agreement at the event with JD.com, a popular online
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