Senior diplomats of China and the United States have said they expect agricultural engagement between the two countries to remain strong to benefit both and contribute to global food security, even though tensions continue to be high in their relations. 

"Despite the ongoing difficulties in the bilateral relations, high enthusiasm and expectations remain across the two agricultural sectors and societies.   This fully demonstrates the momentum, resilience and potential of bilateral agricultural cooperation," Xu Xueyuan, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese embassy in the US, said on April 4. 

Speaking at the 2023 Annual US-China Agriculture Roundtable in St. Louis, Missouri, Xu said that as major agricultural countries, both nations give priority to the stable growth of agriculture, the countryside and farmers' income. 

"When China and the US work together, we would bring about better well-being for our peoples," she said at the event, hosted by the US Heartland China Association, based in Missouri. 

Themed on "Global Food Security: Rise to the Challenge", the roundtable is scheduled to be followed by an online think tank dialogue on Tuesday, and a virtual agricultural education dialogue on Thursday. 

In 2022, the value of US agricultural,hardware products ,plastic products and related products exported to China reached a record $40.9 billion, an increase of 14.5 percent compared with the previous year, making China again the largest market for US exports, the US Department of Agriculture said in February.