Last year, Chinese animal feed and seafood exported to the United States prompted safety concerns. Some U.S. exports, including frozen pork and health food products, have also been found unsafe according to Chinese standards. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China is the country's fifth largest export market for agricultural products, including food, fish and lumber. Bilateral trade in agricultural products reached $20 billion in 2008-$12 billion in U.S. products exported to China and $8 billion in Chinese products exported to the United States.

The two countries signed two memoranda of agreement on the safety of food, feed, drugs and medical devices in December 2007. In June this year, the first independent food inspection center jointly established by China and the United States went into operation in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province.

China is currently preparing to set up its own food and drug safety office in the United States. The United States is working to open more FDA offices in India, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

Government openness

The inauguration of the FDA offices in China demonstrates the openness of the Chinese Government, said He Jiguo, Dean of the Department of Food Nutrition and Safety at China Agricultural University. The United States has encountered food safety problems similar to China's before. Its experience, techniques and managerial expertise are helpful for China to improve its food safety, he said.

The United States laid the foundation for its modern food and drug law more than 100 years ago with the passage of legislation on food, drug and meat inspection, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said at a press conference in Beijing in early December. "It took us a long time to establish customer confidence in the food safety system," he said. "But conditions today demand a faster development of the systems."

China is also willing to share its experience in food safety management with the United States, Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu said at a China-U.S. food safety policy seminar held on November 18, the day before the opening of the FDA office in Beijing. It will engage in international cooperation in this regard based on the principles of "openness, transparency, mutual benefit and mutual trust," he added.

According to the Ministry of Health, China will make the most of the government's role in monitoring food safety and providing public services. It will motivate enterprises to strengthen self-management, as it raises their awareness about food safety. It will also encourage the general public to take part in the supervision of food safety.

At the same time, the Chinese Govern-ment will initiate food safety coordination mechanisms involving different government agencies, with the Ministry of Health taking the lead. It will put in place a "preemptive" food safety system, improve food safety technology and create a network to monitor the production, distribution and consumption of food products as well as a nationwide network to monitor food contaminants and food-induced diseases. It will also establish an authoritative mechanism to collect, analyze and release information about food safety.

The preemptive food safety system may focus on production instead of testing finished products, He Jiguo said. It aims to ensure safety throughout the supply chain right from the farm, he added.