Vice Minister Zhang Taolin and Undersecretary of United States Department of Agriculture Cathie Woteki co-chaired the first meeting of China-US Executive Working Group (EWG) for Strategic Cooperation to Advance Agricultural Science and Technology in Beijing on June 2, 2016. The two sides exchanged views on China-US agricultural S&T cooperation.
Zhang pointed out that the first meeting was convened according to the consensuses reached by the two ministers in September of 2015. The meeting is of great significance to agricultural S&T cooperation and agricultural development of the two countries, opening a new chapter and yielding more fruits to bilateral cooperation. Zhang emphasized that China's economy has entered a period of new normal. The internal and external environment for agricultural development is undergoing profound changes, raising new demands for S&T development. China and the US are highly complementary to each other in agriculture. It has become our common needs and responsibilities to improve agricultural productivity and boost sustainable development through S&T progress. Zhang also suggested that both sides should put priorities in cooperation in crop genetic breeding, animal disease prevention and control, agro-product quality and safety, agro-product processing, efficient use of agro-resources, agricultural production environmental protection, and agricultural open data, etc, and work out action plans for specific areas.
Cathie Woteki agreed with Zhang on his comments on bilateral agricultural S&T cooperation and the importance of the working group. She noted that the two countries are faced with the same challenges in improving agricultural productivity and reducing environmental impacts. Under the framework of the working group, the US is ready to work with China and carry out planned agricultural S&T cooperation, promote personnel and information exchanges, facilitate joint research and upgrade agricultural S&T, so as to enhance global food security and address climate change and other issues.