Top USDA Official Optimistic About China Ag Purchases, US Exports to Vietnam
A top U.S. Department of Agriculture official lauded China’s recent purchases of U.S. agricultural products, saying the “phase one” agreement announced last week is a “positive.”
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“We in agriculture are looking at this very, very positively,” said Ted McKinney, USDA undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, speaking on an Oct. 18 phone call with reporters. “The two sides are back talking, which has to be a positive.”
McKinney said getting China to agree to more agriculture purchases was a “keen focus” of the Trump administration. “It was ... what the U.S. side needed,” McKinney said. “You can never go wrong if they're talking about significant purchases of U.S. food [agricultural] products.”
McKinney was speaking from Vietnam, where the USDA was traveling with representatives from U.S. trade associations and companies on a “trade mission” (see 1910110050) to expand access to Vietnam's markets. McKinney said he met with Vietnam's ministries of agriculture, industry and trade while trade groups and U.S. businesses participated in “speed dating” with Vietnam importers.
“Overall, the relationship with Vietnam is just really, really outstanding and getting better,” McKinney said. “There are always things we have to work on … but we see enormous potential for food and [agricultural] products going from the U.S. to Vietnam.” McKinney said the “likability” of U.S. companies in Vietnam “ranks well above 90 percent.”
“Clearly the U.S. is a country they want to do business with,” he said.
McKinney said the spread of African swine fever has caused Vietnam's “swine herd” to decrease by about 20 percent, adding that Vietnam is preparing to stock up on meat for the lunar new year. “They said there probably will be a need for purchases from the U.S.,” McKinney said, which may include pork, chicken and turkey.
McKinney also said the USDA and U.S. companies are aware of increasing competition in Vietnam from Europe. “We know that other countries are very interested -- and in some ways engaged -- in trying to access the Vietnam market. That’s just a fact of business,” he said. “But we’re very optimistic about what's being achieved and what can be achieved in the future.”