An official with the United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF) said there is "reason for optimism" that China may again allow imports of US beef.

Joe Schuele, communications director for the Denver, Colorado-based USMEF, made his comment in an e-mail to China Daily last week following remarks by US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's at the end of the 24th US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting in Beijing on Dec 23.

The JCCT is a gathering of high-level officials that works on solving trade and investment issues between the US and China. High-priority agricultural issues are discussed at the annual meeting, and this year's agenda included issues relating to bilateral access for beef and horticultural products.

Vilsack said that some headway was made "on a number of trade issues with China" as a result of the talks.

"My discussions with Premier Li Keqiang and other Chinese leaders laid the groundwork for future cooperation related to our shared interests in food security, food safety, and sustainability, as well as the expansion of export opportunities for American farmers and ranchers," Vilsack said in a USDA press release.

"Whenever the two sides are actively discussing beef access, there is reason for optimism," Schuele wrote in his e-mail. "We cannot predict whether 2014 will be the year that the market finally reopens, but we are certainly hopeful and very appreciative of our trade officials' efforts."

China banned the import of US beef in 2003 after an outbreak of mad cow disease was reported in Washington State.

"Demand has soared over the past 15 to 18 months, as evidenced by the surge in China's beef imports," Schuele wrote. "Meat buyers, chefs and other potential customers in China are familiar with the attributes of US beef because of its popularity in the greater China region, but the market remains closed to US beef."

According to information from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the USMEF, the value of US beef exports in 2012 exceeded $5 billion. Australia, Uruguay, New Zealand, Canada and Argentina comprise the five biggest beef exporters to China - a list that the US is noticeably absent from.

Joel Haggard, senior vice-president of the Asia-Pacific region for the USMEF, said the relationship between China and the US continues to be an impediment to trade between the two countries.

"The Chinese mainland and the United States have not been able to re-establish a commercially workable protocol, which would allow for the restart of US beef exports," Haggard wrote Dec 26 in an e-mail to China Daily.

In the most recent edition of Beef Issues Quarterly - a publication that reports on key issues affecting the beef industry - Haggard explained part of the situation or China in an article entitled China's Potential as a US Beef Export Market.

"The United States is well-suited to produce and ship large volumes of specific cuts that will form the core of China's high-quality beef demand," Haggard wrote in the article dated Dec 26. "On the other hand, the absence of US product from the market creates hurdles for re-entry. But the rewards should be large, if these challenges can be overcome. With unfettered access, China is poised to gain a place in the top five US beef export destinations, along with Japan, Korea, Mexico and Canada."

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