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ASA Welcomes Branstad as Incoming Ambassador to China

May 23, 2017

Following a vote by the Senate Monday to confirm former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as the U.S. Ambassador to China, American Soybean Association (ASA) President and Illinois farmer Ron Moore expressed congratulations and support, citing Branstad’s extensive experience working with China and the importance of the market for U.S. soybean farmers.

“We cannot understate the importance of maintaining a good trading relationship with China, along with all of our top exporting countries, and having Gov. Branstad in place will help ensure that agricultural trade remains a top priority between our two countries,” Moore said.

The U.S. soybean sector exported $27 billion in soybean products last year, making it the largest agricultural export. Of that, sales to China comprised more than $14 billion, establishing the market as the most significant for U.S. soy.

“ASA is hopeful that Gov. Branstad’s background in agriculture will help the U.S. and China create greater transparency and efficiencies in the biotech approval process and maintain good trade relations,” Moore added.