"China-Mexico trade is still very low. There is great interest on both sides, but we have not completely resolved some food and animal health issues," the minister said during an interview with Xinhua.

During a visit to China in 2008, Mexican President Felipe Calderon signed a deal with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao on duty-free export of Mexican pork into the Chinese market.

However, no pork has so far been exported because China has not yet sent animal hygiene inspectors to Mexico.

Minister Castaneda said he plans to visit China at the end of this year in hope of reaching an agricultural trade agreement with China.

"I believe that an (agricultural) agreement between the two governments is close, so that trade can grow," he said.

"If there is substantial progress on the technical aspects, the agreement might be signed when I visit," he added.

The minister said Mexico is also interested in exporting chicken parts to China and elsewhere in Asia, citing chicken guts, claws and crests as possible exports.

He added that Mexico and China have many cooperation opportunities to share knowledge, research, development and technologies in the field of agriculture.

"But both nations must start to make efforts to speed up our work so that the animal hygiene and technology sharing mechanisms can be accelerated," the minister said.