U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky said Feb. 23 that the Chinese government has now approved exports of U.S. meat to China under the bilateral agricultural agreement signed between the two countries last spring.
She said that U.S. companies will be allowed to ship beef and other meat products to China on the basis of inspection certification granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
"The agreement is now being implemented," Barshefsky said.
A Chinese official said last month that U.S. citrus products had been cleared for shipment to China under the bilateral agricultural pact, which, in addition to citrus and meat, also covers wheat.
Barshefsky, speaking at a luncheon hosted by Nortel Networks, said that a Chinese buying mission was now in the Pacific Northwest to assess prospects for U.S. wheat exports to China.
"I think we will see implementation [of the bilateral agreement] proceed apace," she said.
Barshefsky said that the United States will be "vigilant" in monitoring Chinese implementation of the agricultural agreement, signed in April 1999, because it will signal whether China can be expected to effectively adhere to the terms of the agreement concluded between the United States and China last November aimed at clearing the way for China's entry into the World Trade Organization.
"Implementation is proceeding," she said, "but we're keeping a close and careful eye on it."
She said that implementation of the bilateral agricultural agreement with China was suspended following the accidental U.S. bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo conflict last May.
By Gary G. Yerkey
Copyright c 2000 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Washington D.C.:
