USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke with Chinese Minster for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian, with the two agreeing that it was “important” for the two sides to “work together and address areas of common concern.”
A USDA spokesperson said that Vilsack did “raise concerns” about Chinese trade barriers, but provided no information on any specific issues that he raised. The two also discussed the “positive role agriculture can play in addressing climate change.”
The two agreed to “discuss these issues further” in the future.
As has been the case with initial readouts of discussions between U.S. and foreign officials early in the Biden administration, there are few details being offered about the specific issues raised and thus it is hard to determine what kind of progress, if any, may have been made.
But these initial sessions are never expected to be ones where significant breakthroughs take place. If anything, they are more of a “meet-and-greet” effort to hopefully set the stage for detailed discussions or resolutions in the future.