U.S. & China Sign Cooperation Plan

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and China’s Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu have signed a Plan of Strategic Cooperation that will guide the two countries’ agricultural relationship for the next 5 years. The plan was signed as part of the U.S.-China Agricultural Symposium held Thursday at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. The symposium focused on bilateral cooperation in the areas of food safety, food security and sustainable agriculture, as well as enhanced business relationships between the two countries.

Secretary Vilsack says – 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 says – China attaches great importance to food security, and ensuring a sufficient food supply for 1.3 billion people. In the 2011 fiscal year, China became the top market for U.S. agricultural goods, purchasing 20-billion dollars in U.S. agricultural exports.