DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -
The first U.S.-China Agriculture Symposium will be held in Des Moines next week as part of a visit to Iowa by China's Vice President Xi Jinping.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says Xi will be accompanied by China's Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu.
The symposium will focus on food safety, food security and sustainable agriculture. It's planned for Thursday at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in Des Moines.
China purchased $20 billion in U.S. agriculture exports last year making it the top buyer of agricultural goods.
Xi, who is expected to become China's president in October, is scheduled to arrive in Des Moines on Wednesday after an earlier stop in Muscatine.
Chinese officials also will visit Washington, D.C., and California as part of their trip.
