China's ambassadors participated in the U.S.-China Agricultural Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa, Usa, illustrating the importance of agricultural cooperation between the two nations, organizers said. U.S. Ambassador to China R. Nicholas Burns, virtually participating in Beijing, joined Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang and former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad as speakers at the Dialogue. The event was co-organized by the United States Heartland China Association (USHCA) and the China Agriculture Association for International Exchanges.

Ambassador Qin Gang and Ambassador Burns offered comments on current agricultural trade and ideas on how it can be improved and expanded. Bob Holden, former governor of Missouri and president of the USHCA, applauded Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, who was instrumental in bringing the ambassadors together, for his tireless effort to promote peace through diplomacy, even in his retirement.

About 200 high-level participants, including a number of government, educational, national and international agribusiness leaders participated in this dialogue. Many traveled to Iowa from all over the country and abroad just to attend this unique event.

Craig Floss, executive director of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, formally announced that two recent purchases of corn this month by China represented a combined value of more than $700 million, "one of the largest corn purchases ever made by China or any other country."

Other executives present were the CEOs of Continental Grain, Syngenta, us grains council and US Soybean Export Council, who joined the vice president of China Agricultural University in a panel discussion on measures to increase U.S.-China bilateral trade and increase global collaboration in feeding the 9 billion to 10 billion people who will soon be on the planet.

Source: Agrolink