Several Chinese ag leaders were able to make the trip to the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates last week. The most prominent guest among them was China Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang. He continued the theme of friendship during his opening remarks.
Ambassador Gang talked about China President Xi Jinping?s visits to the U.S. and how he tried to sow the seeds of friendship and cooperation between the U.S. and China- a method that is now often called ?cornfield diplomacy.? Gang said that President Jinping hopes that they can make the relationships between the countries more cooperative and the rural areas more prosperous.
There?s an immense amount of potential for cooperation and trade between China and the U.S. After all, China is the global leader in agricultural imports, and the U.S. is the leader in agricultural exports. Ambassador Gang said a strong relationship between the two countries can help to meet the wants and needs of Chinese consumers, improve profits for American producers, and aid in global food supply stability.
As he looked towards the Iowa State University students in attendance, Gang said that young agriculturists will be able to reap the benefits of a stronger relationship between the U.S. and China.
Speaking more on his trip to Iowa, Gang said that he was almost overwhelmed by the how friendly and hard-working U.S. farmers are, which he said is very similar to the farmers back in China. He added that it was inspiring to see U.S. farmers continue to use newer climate-safe farming practices.
Gang also dove into the dirt of the trade details between China and the U.S. and said that they?ve seen a lot of growth recently and hope to see more.
Food security is always a priority for any country, but it is particularly important for a country as large and populous as China. Gang said that it?s not just important to simply feed their citizens- they all must be fed well.
In his closing remarks, Gang said that he was touched by the heartfelt support he felt from Iowa farmers, and he said that his heart goes out to them as well.
To see more of our coverage from the U.S.-China High Level Agricultural Dialogue, check out our stories from this week at iowaagnet.com.
