December 04, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 23, 1428

WASHINGTON, Dec 3: The United States expects to sign pair of agreements with China next week to ensure that food, animal feed, drugs and medical devices that the country’s exports to the United States meet US safety standards, a top Bush administration official said on Monday.

“Early next week, we hope to sign binding memorandums of understanding in the areas of food and feed and devices and drugs,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said in remarks at the US Chamber of Commerce.

“Any country who desires to produce goods for American consumers needs to produce them in accordance with American standards -- American standards of quality, American standards of safety,” Leavitt said.

The two agreements follow a series of recalls that have raised concerns about the safety of Chinese goods just as China surpassed Germany this year as the world’s top exporter.

China’s food exports to the United States have grown rapidly in recent years, with the single biggest category, seafood, more than doubling since 2001 to nearly $1.93 billion in 2006.

US imports of Chinese-made scientific, medical and hospital equipment doubled over the same period to about $1.87 billion in 2006, while imports of Chinese medicinal, dental and pharmaceutical preparations doubled to $676 million.

The United States, a major animal feed producer, imported $195 million worth of animal feed and food grains from China last year, more than six times amount in 2001.—Reuters