Experts call for China-U.S. trade cooperation in agriculture

Chinese and U.S. agricultural experts have called for trade cooperation between China and the United States in agriculture, stressing that the two countries are economically complementary in essence.

At a U.S.-China Agricultural Roundtable conference on Thursday night, Polly Ruhland, CEO of the United Soybean Board, the governing body that instantiates the U.S. commodity checkoff program for soybeans, said "China is an extremely important market for U.S. soybean farmers."

China's growing interest in sustainability widens an opportunity for the United States to supply this important market with sustainable and high quality sweet proteins, said Ruhland. "Trade between the U.S. and China not only strengthens ties between our two nations, but also helps to supply other market around the world with valuable agricultural commodities, including soybeans."

"Frankly, we need each other," Ruhland stressed, while highlighting the importance of respect.

"As a fundamental effort, we could work very hard to understand and respect our cultural differences, not only to treat each other necessarily as we wish to be treated, but as others wish to be treated, given who they are and where they come from and focus on our shared needs," Ruhland said.

Bill Even, CEO of the National Pork Board, said that "China is a valuable trading partner for U.S. pork, and we intend to be a competitive supplier to your nation."

"The opportunity to lower trade barriers in the form of tariff, the opportunity to ensure that cover testing on packages and shipments into China, the opportunity to ensure that our production plants are listed and able to sell and conduct trade with China are important," Even said.

Krysta Harden, president and CEO of U.S. Dairy Export Council, said she hoped politics and some rhetoric will be lowered so that the two countries can really "talk about what is best for our two great nations and working together."

"We are going to accomplish a lot more for our populations than we are going head to head through politics," Harden said.

Luan Richeng, president of China Oil and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO Corporation), a leading supplier of agri-products in China, said as China's urbanization speeds up and Chinese people's living standards keep improving, China's import of agricultural products will expand further.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world in 2020, China's import of soybeans, variety meats and dairy products grew healthily, he said.

"The huge and growing Chinese market will provide a vast development space for U.S. agricultural producers and suppliers," Luan said, promising that COFCO Corporation will strengthen cooperation with U.S. agricultural enterprises to bring concrete benefits to both Chinese consumers and U.S. farmers and to realize win-win.

"China and the United States are complementary in trade," Luan said, adding China has a huge market and the United States has large comparative advantages in agricultural products.

Putting politics aside, it is natural for China and the United States to establish a win-win and stable relationship of cooperation, which will create a benign environment for trade, Luan noted.