China, Estonia sign protocols to boost dairy exports

CHINA – China and Estonia have signed protocols on the export of Estonian wild aquatic and dairy products to China, with the Chinese side pledging to further advance bilateral trade and economic cooperation, according to a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Estonia.

Zhao Zenglian, deputy administrator of China’s General Administration of Customs, and Hendrik Johannes Trass, Estonia’s Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, signed the Protocol on Inspection and Sanitary Requirements for Wild Aquatic Products to be exported from Estonia to China.

They also signed the Protocol on Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Dairy Products exported from Estonia to China in Tallinn, the statement said.

“The signing of these protocols is set to lay a solid foundation for enhancing bilateral trade and practical cooperation in the aquatic and dairy sectors between China and Estonia,” the statement said.

Chinese Ambassador to Estonia Guo Xiaomei congratulated both sides on the successful signing of the agreements and expressed her appreciation to all relevant parties for their contributions to this achievement.

China and Estonia have maintained steady growth in trade, underpinned by a solid framework of bilateral cooperation.

The two sides have already signed intergovernmental agreements on economic and trade cooperation, investment protection and the avoidance of double taxation, according to China’s Foreign Ministry website.

Statistics Estonia data showed that in June 2025, Estonia’s goods trade with China reached €78.87 million ($85.18 million), up 19.5 percent year-on-year.

Exports to China rose 4 percent, while imports from China surged 25.8 percent, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.

In the first half of 2025, Estonia’s trade in goods with China totaled €510 million, up 10.4 percent year-on-year, official data showed.

China has also moved to facilitate travel. In November 2024, Beijing announced an expansion of its visa-free entry policy. From November 30, 2024 through December 31, 2025, holders of ordinary passports from nine countries, including Estonia, are allowed to enter China without a visa on a trial basis.

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