China News Agency, Des Moines, September 25th, Question: How does Sino-US agricultural cooperation germinate old trees?
——Interview with Kenneth Quinn, Honorary President of the World Food Prize Foundation
China News Agency reporter Wang Fan and Chen Meng
Economic and trade cooperation, especially agricultural cooperation, is the ballast of Sino-US relations.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, China and the United States have started exchanges and cooperation in the field of agriculture.
Known as the "granary of the United States", Iowa can be described as "the foundation of the old tree". In 1983, it signed a sister province-state agreement with China's Hebei Province and has maintained the vitality of exchanges.
In recent years, Sino-US relations have experienced some adverse currents and rapids, and agricultural cooperation between the two countries has faced adverse effects such as the epidemic and tariffs.
However, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture has always been the general expectation of the people of the two countries.
Last year, the bilateral agricultural trade volume between China and the United States hit a historical record of US$46.4 billion, indicating that the agricultural trade between the two countries has recovered after experiencing ups and downs.
Kenneth M. Quinn, honorary chairman of the World Food Prize Foundation, is a witness of agricultural exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States.
He has visited China several times since 1979 and participated in many agricultural cooperation between China and the United States during his 20 years as chairman of the World Food Prize Foundation from 2000 to 2020.
Recently, Quinn accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East-West Question", interpreting topics such as agricultural cooperation between the two countries, agricultural trade, and global food security.
When it comes to tariffs, Quinn said that tariffs will hinder the development of agricultural trade, and he prefers open markets and free trade.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Agency reporter: What do you think of the agricultural cooperation between China and the United States?
Quinn:
The United States and China started exchanges in the field of agriculture in 1979.
In 1979, the first U.S. governor's delegation visited China, including then Iowa Governor Robert Wray.
In 1980, a delegation of Chinese governors returned to the United States, and I had the honor to accompany them on a tour of Iowa.
The cooperation between the United States and China in the field of agriculture has been gradually advanced since then.
In 2012, the then Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visited Iowa during his visit to the United States, pushing U.S.-China relations to a new high.
Tom Vilsack, the then U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, and Han Changfu, the visiting Chinese Minister of Agriculture, signed the "Sino-U.S. Agricultural Strategic Cooperation Plan", which identified a number of cooperation areas and key cooperation projects.
China's economy has grown rapidly over the past few decades.
No matter how time goes by, the US and China must adhere to agricultural cooperation.
In my decades-long career, I have come to realize that agricultural cooperation is critical to world peace and poverty eradication.
In order to meet the food needs of nearly 10 billion people in the world in 25 years, the United States and China need to work together to strengthen agricultural scientific research cooperation and information sharing on the one hand, and work together to address global challenges including climate change, and help the world's Increase in food production.
The headquarters of the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
Photo by Chen Mengtong
China News Service: Do China and the US have experience in agricultural development that is worth learning from each other?
Quinn:
I think in terms of agricultural development, the American model and the Chinese model are to some extent the same.
Both countries attach importance to building road networks, cultivating high-quality seeds and promoting new technologies.
Professor Yuan Longping has to be mentioned here. As one of the greatest agricultural scientists in the world, his achievements in hybrid rice research are of great significance.
Chinese agronomist Yuan Longping was awarded the World Food Prize, which is known as the Nobel Prize in the field of agriculture.
The picture shows the winner's character wall in the headquarters building of the World Food Prize Foundation, with Yuan Longping among them.
Photo by Chen Mengtong
As a traditional agricultural state in the United States, Iowa's most valuable experience is road building.
Since the 1930s, Iowa has begun to build state highways.
The roads here are crisscrossed and extend in all directions, with a north-south road and an east-west road almost every mile.
Regardless of the farm from which we originate, our produce can be shipped quickly across the United States.
American Farm.
Photo by Jia Guorong
China News Service: The U.S. agricultural exports to China have rebounded in the past two years. Do you understand this? How important is agricultural trade to the relationship between the two countries?
Quinn:
U.S. agricultural exports to China are very large.
When it comes to trade in agricultural products, agriculture is an important area for developing bilateral relations and deepening cooperation between the two countries, and agricultural trade plays an important role in US-China economic and trade relations.
We sincerely hope that US-China relations will develop in a positive direction.
China News Service: What impact do you think the tariffs will have on American farmers?
Quinn:
In general, tariffs hinder agricultural trade.
I prefer open markets and free trade.
Of course, we must also do a good job in intellectual property protection. On the one hand, we must protect science-related copyrights, and on the other hand, we must be willing to share research materials and data that have entered the public domain.
Farmers in Iowa, U.S., caught in the midst of the Sino-U.S. trade friction in 2018.
Photo by Liao Pan
China News Service: The Ukrainian crisis has triggered a global food supply shortage. How should China and the United States cooperate in the field of food security?
Quinn:
First, the US and China should articulate their principles and make commitments to each other at the political level.
After that, the United States and China should vigorously carry out research exchanges, so that researchers in academic institutions can strengthen interconnection and publish and share scientific research results.
We need this kind of cooperation, and opportunities should continue to be created to enhance it.
Regarding food security, can the United States and China jointly organize a delegation to the African continent to cooperate with the African Development Bank, the African Green Revolution Alliance and other institutions to conduct research and make effective suggestions for increasing local food production?
In this way, with the joint efforts of high-level experts from the United States and China, the capital investment of the two countries will positively affect the agricultural production on the African continent, and will also bring assistance to more difficult areas in agricultural development.
Of course, forums and conferences in the field of agriculture are also of great significance. U.S. and Chinese officials, experts and scholars can express their opinions and make suggestions, which is also very beneficial to our joint response to food security issues.
China News Service: Will the agricultural cooperation have a positive impact on the relationship between the two countries?
Quinn:
Of course, the effective cooperation between the United States and China in agriculture will have a positive impact on all aspects of the relationship between the two countries.
Now that this is a positive impact, we should promote and strengthen cooperation.
This reminds me of what I once told the leaders and officials of African countries when I attended the meeting: The US-China relationship is currently facing setbacks and difficulties. dialogue on agricultural issues.
Perhaps, African countries can bring the United States and China together better.
In 2021, the Jiangsu Agricultural International Cooperation Fair will open an online live broadcast room.
Photo by Geng Yuhe
China News Service reporter: What new agricultural fields are worth exploring in China and the United States?
Quinn:
There are many frontier areas in agricultural science that are worth exploring between the two countries.
The United States and China should work together and cooperate in research.
Some experiments can be performed in a province of this country, and some may be more suitable to be performed in another country.
If the two countries work together to achieve research results, they should report together and assess together how these technologies can be effectively used.
(Finish)
Americans pick strawberries on a farm.
Photo by Liao Pan
Interviewee Profile:
Kenneth M. Quinn, President Emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation, a senior diplomat with more than 30 years of experience, has served as U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and a member of the White House National Security Council.
After retiring in 2000, he served as chairman of the World Food Prize Foundation for 20 years.