Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues

Although the relationship in agriculture is strong between the two countries, it is not immune to other political issues in Sino-U.S. relations. For instance, in 2014, China essentially banned all corn imports from the United States. This action, which cost the United States almost $3 billion in sales, was purported to be a result of worsening technological and intellectual property trade frictions. It would be in the global community’s best interest for China and the United States to agree not to use agricultural and food production as a political bargaining chip. Therefore, it is imperative that the two countries agree to collaborate on improving global food security without letting other political issues affect its progress.

An improved relationship in agriculture insulated from political issues could be fostered by further collaboration. The United States should take a larger role in supporting and developing China’s food security plan. As meat consumption has increased in China over the last decade, China has been increasingly growing and importing livestock feed that is land intensive, such as wheat and corn. However, compared to the United States, which has 45 percent arable land, China only has 15 percent arable land. Additionally, China’s arable land is more susceptible to pollution, lack of water, and climate changes. As such, it would be more efficient if China imports meat from the United States and uses its available arable land to grow higher quality crops. These higher quality crops could be exported to other countries, which would improve China’s agricultural export economy.

Another potential aspect in collaboration would be to move labor-intensive food production to China. This would be sensible because of China’s much larger labor force, which is 200 times larger than that of the United States’.

A more agricultural economically bound China and the United States could protect agricultural collaboration from unrelated political issues. Supporting China’s food security would help develop a more stable and sustainable global food system. In 2014, the China Investment Corporation, China’s sovereign wealth fund, announced an investment focus on agriculture and food security. These investments are notably directed into developing countries in Africa and South America. Although it is not clear what China’s goals are in investing into Africa and South America, its effect on their economies and agricultural production could be problematic.

China’s agricultural imports are projected to grow through year 2023. As China’s import demand grows, it is important that it trades with countries that are self-sufficient and without an agricultural deficit. China’s large market and capacity for imports could have a large effect on the future development on the global food system. It would be helpful for the United States and China to be closer agricultural partners, as the global community would benefit from China having stable growth in import demands.

A stronger relationship in agriculture between the United States and China would also significantly bolster the development of agriculture and food production technology. Most significantly, the United States and China should share research and intellectual property rights. Currently, agricultural companies in the United States keep the genetic research and development of crops as intellectual property. As some officials in China fear dependency on seeds from the United States, they have called for further domestic research in crop genetics. In 2014, six Chinese nationals were accused of stealing corn seeds from a company in the United States to smuggle back to China. This incident is a clear indicator poor scientific co-operation on agriculture and it should be remedied.

Better collaboration between China and the United States could lead to developments in food security, animal and plant health and diseases, sustainable agriculture, genetic resources, and biotechnology. The established relationship in agriculture between China and the United States should be strengthened and utilized to benefit the global community. As the two largest players in the global food system, China and the United States have a great deal of resources that should be collectively invested. Improving global food security is vital to the future of a thriving global community and it ought to be a priority that transcends political differences and guides China and the United States to become global partners.

Emeline Kong is a senior at Georgetown University majoring in physics. Her interests lie in international agricultural and food production and policy, particularly in developing genetic technologies.