A farmer operates a machine to sow soybean seeds in a field in Fanhe Township of Tieling, northeast China's Liaoning Province, May 11, 2022.  Photo: Xinhua

Chinese ambassador to the US Xie Feng said China-US agricultural cooperation is complementary and win-win and has vast potential to grow, as companies from the two countries signed 11 agricultural purchase contracts at the China-US Sustainable Agricultural Trade Forum and Contract Signing Ceremony in the US on Monday.

Among the Chinese companies that signed purchasing contracts and agreements are Bohi Industry, China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) International, and Sinograin Oil, according to a press release by the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC) on Tuesday.

The deals also include corn, sorghum and wheat, Reuters reported, citing the USSEC.

"People are the foundation of a nation, and food is of paramount importance. China-US agricultural cooperation is a rich area with bright prospects. A large granary needs a massive market, while a massive market brings opportunities," Xie said.

He said the nature of China-US agricultural cooperation is complementary and win-win. China is the world's largest importer of agricultural products, while the US is the world's largest agricultural products exporter. Bilateral trade in this regard exceeded $50 billion in 2022, Xie said, noting that there is vast potential for China-US agricultural cooperation.

"China is transitioning from a large agricultural country into a strong agricultural country, and thereby the country's need for high-quality agricultural products will continue to rise. This will create new room for China-US cooperation in sectors including agricultural tech innovation and green development," the Chinese ambassador said.

China-US agricultural cooperation will benefit the two countries and the world as a whole, Xie said. Currently, global grain security faces challenges, and China-US agricultural cooperation will help counter challenges with advanced agricultural technologies and demonstrate a large country's responsibility by contributing to a world without starvation and poverty, he said.

Responding to Chinese-owned Syngenta's forced sale of its farmland in the US, Xie said that the China-US ties face some severe difficulties and grim challenges, and he urged the US to stop politicizing economic issues and abusing national security concept in order to deepen bilateral agricultural cooperation.

"How will the US government and US people respond, if US companies, which invest and establish businesses in other countries, are discriminated and treated unfairly by other countries with their business contracts being canceled, projects being halted or being expelled at random? Will it be necessary to uphold the spirit of contracts, market economy and fair competition principles?" the ambassador asked.