After in-depth discussions about agricultural biotechnology with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Chinese officials commit to further improve the approval process. In late September, representatives from USDA and China’s Ministry of Agriculture met to discuss the topic, which is part of the Strategic Agriculture Innovation Dialogue, prior to a meeting between President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Following the meeting, the White House issued a fact sheet, reporting “Both sides reaffirmed the importance of implementing timely, transparent, predictable and science-based approval processes for products of agricultural biotechnology, which are based on international standards.” According to the fact sheet, both sides committed to share experience and practices of research and development, regulatory administration and safety approval of agricultural biotechnology.
Additionally, both countries affirm that that states should not conduct or knowingly support misappropriation of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information with the intent of providing competitive advantages to their companies or commercial sectors.
For more information about the discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials, visit www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/25/fact-sheet-us-china-economic-relations.
