September 23, 2009
US, China agriculture ministers sign trade MOU
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Chinese Agriculture Minister Sun Zhengcai held talks in Washington Tuesday (Sept 22) and signed a memorandum of understanding, pledging to cooperate on research and trade issues.
Vilsack, in a prepared statement released after the signing ceremony, said, "Since China joined the WTO in 2001, it has become our fourth largest market for agricultural exports. With two-way agricultural trade reaching nearly US$15 billion, it is not surprising that there are issues that require coordination."
Neither the Chinese minister nor the USDA secretary were available for questions after the signing, but Vilsack told Dow Jones Newswires on Monday (Sept 21) that he planned to press Sun on China's ban on US pork and the country's anti-dumping investigation into whether the U.S. is selling chicken to China at below-market prices.
The meeting Tuesday is a precursor to a US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meeting scheduled for October 29 in Hangzhou, China. Vilsack, US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk will attend that meeting in China, according to the USDA.
