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Xi Jinping embarks on an economic tour in LA

Published in：2012/1/1 18:19:45 Click on the amount：

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After a political tour to Washington and nostalgic tour of Iowa, Vice President Xi Jinping has arrived in Los Angeles to embark on an economic tour in the last stop of his four-day US visit.

The Vice President visited a Chinese-operated port terminal in Los Angeles, after attending a forum on food security and sustainable agriculture in Iowa, where he also met with local farmers.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (L, central) talks to crew as he tours China Shipping at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, the United States, on Feb. 16, 2012. (Xinhua/Liu Jiansheng)

Vice President Xi Jinping began his Los Angeles visit with a tour of a Chinese-owned shipping terminal in the giant Port of Los Angeles --the biggest US port in terms of container throughput and a major gateway for Chinese goods arriving from across the Pacific.

Accompanied by California Governor Jerry Brown, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the president of China Shipping group, Li Shaode, Xi Jinping listened to the contributions the terminal has made in promoting energy conservation, environmental protection and job creation.

Xi Jinping’s delegation also visited a farm owned by Iowa farmer Rick Kimberly.

The China Shipping Group is also undertaking a 121 million dollar expansion to the facility that will more than double its port space to over 57 hectares. Over the last ten years, the terminal’s throughput has reached 1.5 million standard containers, or a tenth of the total throughput of the Los Angeles Port.

Xi Jingping spoke highly of the role the terminal has played in boosting China-US trade and increasing local employment and tax revenues. He says the terminal’s success highlights the mutually beneficial nature of China-US economic cooperation. He also encouraged the port to break new ground and make further contributions to developing China-US economic ties.

Xi Jinping’s delegation also visited a farm owned by Iowa farmer Rick Kimberly.

Earlier on Thursday morning local time, Xi Jinping attended a high level China-US Agricultural Symposium in the state of Iowa. He proposed the two countries increase exchanges in farming technologies and create a fair market environment to optimize resource allocation. He also called for China and US to enhance coordination in countering food insecurity as a global threat.

Xi Jinping’s delegation also visited a farm owned by Iowa farmer Rick Kimberly. He asked Kimberly about farming techniques, sales, management and environmental protection practices. Operating a harvester during a visit to the farm’s barn, Xi noted that the US has a highly-industrialized farming industry - a fact that complements both countries’ agricultural sectors.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, China became the top market for US agricultural goods last year, purchasing 20 billion dollars in US agricultural exports.