USSEC will be participating in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) mission to China that will focus on promoting U.S. agricultural exports to Northeast China.  USSEC Regional Director - North Asia Paul Burke, USSEC Country Director –China Xiaoping Zhang, American Soybean Association (ASA) Treasurer Richard Wilkins and United Soybean Board (USB) Director Larry Marek will join the delegation headed by Michael Scuse, undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services.  The trade mission includes state departments of agriculture leaders from eight states and representatives from twenty-eight U.S. agribusinesses and organizations, including USSEC, and will visit China from May 5-13.  The USDA delegation will travel to the northeastern provinces of Dalian, Shenyang and Changchun to learn about market conditions and business opportunities there.

China already represents a key market for U.S. soy, purchasing approximately one in four rows of U.S. soybeans.  The country is the largest international market for U.S. food and agricultural products, with exports of $23.5 billion last fiscal year.  Northeast China’s agricultural imports have outpaced the rest of the country due to its strong economic growth, urban development, rapidly growing middle class and a population roughly equal to that of Mexico.  U.S. agricultural exports to the region have grown 18 percent annually since 2009 and demand for soybeans, red meat, dairy and sugar have all seen double-digit growth over the past five years.