China, US Pledge to Deepen Agriculture Cooperation
22 February 2012 At the first US-China Agricultural Symposium in Iowa last week, US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and China’s Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu signed a Plan of Strategic Cooperation that will guide the two countries’ agricultural relationship for the next five years.
In his opening remarks, Vilsack said, “This plan builds on the already strong relationship our nations enjoy around agricultural science, trade, and education. It looks to deepen our cooperation through technical exchange and to strengthen coordination in priority areas like animal and plant health and disease, food security, sustainable agriculture, genetic resources, agricultural markets and trade, and biotechnology and other emerging technologies.”
Xi Jinping, China’s vice president, opened the symposium, emphasizing the country’s support of its farmers and rural development, as well as on food security. “China attaches great importance to food security, and ensuring a sufficient food supply for 1.3 billion people,” Xi said.
China became the top market for US agricultural goods in the 2011 fiscal year, buying up $20 billion in American agricultural exports.
The value of US farm exports to China supported more than 160,000 American jobs in 2011, on and off the farm across a variety of sectors, according to USDA.
Get The Newsletter Today!
