WASHINGTON, July 11: China has promised to work with the US Department of Agriculture toward reopening its market for American beef, US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Monday. China agreed to send a technical team to the United States in October, Johanns said after meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing. In the interim, he said, China “will be working with USDA officials ... to provide more information on the timeline and process for reopening their market to US beef.”

China, along with top importers Japan and South Korea, cut off shipments of US beef in December 2003 following the discovery of the country’s first case of the deadly spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). A second case was confirmed by the USDA last month.

In 2003 China imported around $28 million worth of US beef, making it the 10th-biggest market. Before the trade ban, Japan ranked as the biggest market for American beef and bought $1.4 billion annually.

“It’s very important. If we have a big Asian market like that one open it will give us perfect support in negotiations with Japan and South Korea,” a US government official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Long-term, the China market has growth potential for American beef shipments, the source added.

Johanns and Minister Li Changjiang of China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine also reached an agreement on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to improve bilateral cooperation on animal and plant health and food safety.

“With this MoU, we will establish a vehicle to address the sanitary, phytosanitary and food safety issues that have hindered US agriculture’s access to this important market,” said Johanns.

The MoU will provide a forum for both countries to try to resolve bilateral technical food safety issues and promote scientific exchange to resolve technical barriers to trade, he said.

It will also provide for an exchange of information on a range of issues including laws and regulations, inspection and quarantine procedures, technology; pests and disease and food certification.

The United States sold more than $6 billion in agriculture products to China last year, making it the country’s fifth-largest export market.

Johanns took part in the meeting of the US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, a bilateral forum for resolving trade issues, which was also attended by US Trade Representative Rob Portman and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. Leading the delegation for China was Vice Premier Wu Yi.—Reuters