Copyright pakistantoday
Agriculture has always been a central theme for American firms at the CIIE. This year, the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai) is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a third time to co-organize the American Food and Agriculture Pavilion. Covering 350 square meters, the pavilion features exhibits from 19 participating businesses. On Thursday, the pavilion’s opening day, feed additive company Dynamite reached deals totaling $5.8 million with multiple Chinese clients at a signing ceremony. Additionally, agricultural leader ADM has signed cooperation agreements with several major Chinese grain and oil enterprises, including COFCO Corporation, during the ongoing CIIE, with the total contract value exceeding 20 billion yuan (about $2.82 billion). “At the previous CIIE, we signed 711 million U.S. dollars worth of products in agreements, a 41-percent growth from the U.S. pavilion’s inaugural results in 2023,” said Eric Zheng, president of the AmCham Shanghai. “This year, we are hopeful that we’ll break that record.” “The CIIE is the perfect platform to help link companies and buyers, but also to find more opportunities in China,” said Sean Stein, president of the U.S.-China Business Council. He believes American businesses are not only maintaining their presence in China but also quietly deepening their roots and expanding their operations through joint research, supply chain integration and strong partnerships with local governments. “They’re doing it quietly – not trumpeting their investments, not highlighting it in the various international media,” said Stein, adding that this quiet expansion is taking root throughout diverse industries. The year 2023 saw the establishment of the U.S.-China soybean product application value chain innovation center in central China’s Henan Province, a joint endeavor by the USSEC, local governments and a university. This center is designed to elevate bilateral cooperation across the soybean industry. “We try to bring the latest technology, the innovative ideas from wherever around the world, and share that with leaders of businesses here in China. I think that helps build goodwill between the U.S. and China,” Sutter said.
