BEIJING and SHANGHAI, CHINA – USA Rice staff took part in the U.S. Soybean Export Council’s (USSEC) Multi-Cooperator Trade Mission here last week. USA Rice was one of 17 U.S. agricultural cooperator groups on the mission, that aimed to strengthen ties with Chinese trade partners and government leaders, engage key industry stakeholders, and reaffirm the value of the U.S.-China agricultural trade relationship.
The trade mission began in Beijing, where the delegation met with U.S. Embassy staff and U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue. Meetings in Beijing also included COFCO, which purchases approximately one-third of China’s grain imports; China’s Ministry of Commerce; the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA); and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
The group then traveled to Shanghai for the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), where USA Rice exhibited for the fourth time. The booth featured unique utilizations of U.S. rice, including craft beer brewed with U.S. jasmine rice, cocktails made with U.S. rice liquor, and a range of rice dishes, including a mango sticky rice made with U.S. short grain. CIIE also featured a U.S. China High-Level Dialogue on Agricultural Trade Cooperation on Friday, November 6, where USA Rice Senior Director for Grower and International Relations Mollie Buckler spoke on one of two panels focused on U.S. commodity trade.
“China is largely self-sufficient in rice, but the small share it imports is still enormous by our standards, and winning even part of it would matter to the U.S. rice industry,” said Buckler. “Getting there takes work on two fronts. In Beijing, we sat down with the people who shape trade policy and purchasing. In Shanghai, we showed buyers U.S. rice in ways they hadn’t seen before. We have hurdles in this market, but staying present is how we’re ready when the door opens wider.”
Buckler also thanked USSEC for organizing the mission and for its continued collaboration with fellow cooperators in the market. “Bringing 17 organizations together gave U.S. agriculture a stronger, more unified presence with Chinese government and industry leaders than any one group could build alone,” she said.