China, U.S. Urged to Improve Agricultural ‘Bright Spot’ to ‘Inject New Impetus’ in Relations

By South China Morning Post|25 March 2022

China and the United States should improve cooperation in the agricultural sector, labelled as “a bright spot” in bilateral relations, to “inject new impetus” to ease overall rivalry and fight climate change, officials from both sides said. Agriculture was the major component of China’s purchase commitments under the phase-one trade deal, which expired at the end of last year, writes Wend Wu at South China Morning Post.

China was blamed for falling short of meeting the purchase targets, although Beijing said that it had made the utmost effort to deliver on the deal in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and deteriorating relations. Qin Gang, China’s ambassador to the U.S., said that China had “faithfully” fulfilled the agriculture commitment under the two-year deal, which was signed in January 2020.

“Our agricultural trade registered a quick comeback from the pandemic and trade frictions, and rose to US$47 billion in 2021, with China’s imports reaching US$39 billion, up by 46 per cent year on year,” said Qin.

China imports one fifth of U.S. agricultural products, more than any other country or region, he said, urging both sides to forge closer agricultural cooperation to “inject new impetus” into overall bilateral relations and help with food security, as well as the battle against climate change.