The Center for Sino-French Beef Cattle Research and Development is located in Daxing District, southern Beijing.

As one of the key projects of agricultural cooperation between China and France, the center was officially launched in October 2008.

On November 12, 2009, Emmanuel Loriot, First Secretary of the French Embassy to China, paid a visit to the center. Zhao Jinwei, head of the center, introduced basic information and showed him around.

On November 2, Zhao was awarded the title of Knight in the Order of Agricultural Merit at the French Embassy to China for his contribution to Sino-French beef cattle cooperation.

Born in 1950 in Beijing, Zhao started raising cattle at the age of 32. He currently runs a food company, whose services range from raising and slaughtering beef cattle to processing and sales.

"We have a beef cattle identification system here, thanks to the joint efforts by China Agricultural University and the French Meat and Livestock Association. In fact, as early as 2005, the system was introduced to the industry to ensure food safety. It is clear that the products will lose competitiveness without the identification system," Zhao told Beijing Review.

"Now, every piece of meat here has a barcode that contains all the information, including the feed," he added.