HHS Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and USDA Secretary Mike Johanns Discuss Food- and Drug-Safety Issues with Chinese Minister of Health Gao Qiang and Minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Li Chang Jiang

From left to right: Qi Xiuqin, Director-General, Department of International Cooperation, Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ); Chinese Minister of AQSIQ Li Changjiang; Chinese Minister of Health Gao Qiang; HHS U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., Secretary Michael O. Leavitt of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and Secretary Mike Johanns of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); at the HHS-hosted bilateral meeting to discuss issues of food and drug safety.

May 24, 2007 - The U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services hosted senior Chinese Government officials to make requests on the steps Chinese regulators should take quickly to improve their oversight of the safety and quality of food and medicines. The bilateral meeting took place the day after the conclusion of the second, Cabinet-level meeting under the United States-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED), in Washington, D.C. Participants from the U.S. Government included Secretary Michael O. Leavitt of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Secretary Mike Johanns of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; HHS U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D.; and other HHS officials; participants for the Chinese included the Honorable GAO Qiang, Minister of Health; the Honorable Li Changjiang, Minister of China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ); and Minister-Counselor Zheng Zeguang of the Embassy of the PRC in Washington, D.C. For more details on what Secretaries Leavitt and Johanns discussed with their Chinese counterparts, please see the fact sheets found at the links below.

The productive outcomes of the United States-China Health-Care Forum, the SED, and the bi-lateral meeting on food and drug safety, all of which occurred the week of May 21, have demonstrated the strong partnership between the United States and China. The various events during the week enhanced the commitment of both countries to communicate and collaborate successfully towards the common goal of ensuring food and drug safety, and towards continuing a dialogue on issues of health-care financing, rural health, and protecting consumers.

For more information:

• Actions Requested of the People’s Republic of China by the U.S. Government to Address the Safety of Food and Feed (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
• Actions Requested of the People’s Republic of China by the U.S. Government to Address the Safety of Drugs

Last revised: August 17, 2007