Starting in May, China can check sanitary certificate information on dairy products and pork imports from the Netherlands through the Internet; meanwhile, Dutch importers can verify electronic certificates on the inspection and quarantine of Chinese food and agricultural products, according to the Sino-Dutch memo.

The document was signed in Beijing by Zhi Shuping, minister of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ), and Maxime Verhagen, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture & Innovation.

Mr Zhi said China and the Netherlands will expand the application of electronic certificates to facilitate the bilateral trade of food and agricultural products.

Both countries agreed to deepen cooperation to create a paperless exchange of sanitary certificates for trading goods in the future.

To date, the Chinese inspection and quarantine authority has established inspection and quarantine electronic certificate exchange systems with New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands.