Photo: Screenshot of Chinese Ministry of Commerce's website

Bilateral agricultural trade has seen some fluctuations this year, the root cause lies in the US unilateral tariff measures, said Li Chenggang, China international trade representative with the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), stressing that when both sides uphold the principles of equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity, and engage in dialogue and cooperation, they can find ways to solve problems.

Li, also China's vice minister of commerce, made the remark on Tuesday during a meeting with a delegation of US agricultural trade delegation in Beijing, MOFCOM announced on Wednesday, reaffirmed that a sound China-US economic and trade relationship benefits not only both countries but also the world.

Li stated that since May this year, under the strategic guidance of the important consensus reached between the two heads of state, the two sides' economic and trade teams have held five rounds of talks, which have helped to stabilize China-US economic and trade relations. This fully demonstrates that when both sides uphold the principles of equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity, and engage in dialogue and cooperation, they can find ways to solve problems, said Li. 

Li noted that China and the US are important partners in agricultural trade, adding that although bilateral agricultural trade has seen some fluctuations this year, the root cause lies in the US unilateral tariff measures. Li said that the two countries have complementary strengths in natural endowments, markets, capital, and technology, offering vast potential for cooperation. Li expressed hope that the US side will work with China to focus on the bigger picture and create a favorable environment for pragmatic cooperation in agriculture and other areas.

Members of the US delegation said that China is an important export market for US agricultural products, and the US agricultural sector values its partnership with China and is committed to expanding cooperation. They stressed that stable China-US economic and trade relations are crucial for bilateral agricultural trade and expressed their expectation for continued sound development of such ties.

Global Times