Yunnan conference highlights coffee as bridge for cooperation

Officials, diplomats, and businesses convened on Tuesday for a conference in Baoshan, Yunnan province, to discuss the state of China's coffee industry and highlight the popular drink's status as a bridge for international exchange and cooperation.

Yunnan is an active player in this coffee exchange, according to Pan Hongwei, secretary of the leading Party members group of the Yunnan Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce, who highlighted that the province supports local enterprises to compete in international markets and, conversely, welcomes international brands.

Wen Zhixiong, deputy director general of the Foreign Affairs Office, echoed these ideas, adding that Yunnan mobilizes its entire coffee industry chain to promote cooperation, prosperity, and development.

International guests also spoke at the conference. Salvador Moncada, Honduran ambassador to China, talked about his nation's cultural and economic relationship with Arabica coffee. More than 120,000 Honduran families directly rely on the coffee industry.

According to the ambassador, the recent average export price of coffee to China has reached $379 per bag (46 kilograms), making it one of the most valuable markets for Honduran specialty coffee.

Honduras joined Ethiopia in signing cooperation agreements with a Chinese enterprise on Tuesday.

Arthur Williams, Jamaica's ambassador to China, painted the crop as a powerful engine for poverty alleviation, a vibrant expression of local culture, and a compelling magnet for tourism. The cultural element of coffee breeds human connection, as when packets of drip coffee he'd received on a visit to Baoshan brought him comfort during a recent hospital stay.

The 3rd International Conference on the Development of Specialty Coffee Industry was organized by the Yunnan Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce, the Foreign Affairs Office of Yunnan Province, and the Baoshan Government.