Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (R) addresses the U.S.-China High Level Agricultural Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, the United States, Feb. 16, 2012. (Xinhua/Liu Jiansheng)

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping concluded his trip to the U.S. state of Iowa on Thursday and arrived in California where he visited the China Shipping terminal at the Port of Los Angeles.

In Iowa, Xi addressed the China-U.S. High Level Agricultural Symposium in Des Moines, capital of the state.

He said China and the United States should enhance collaboration in science and technology, promote bilateral trade and strengthen the exchange of information so as to further deepen agricultural cooperation.

The vice-president said cooperation and exchanges between China and the United States in agriculture have maintained momentum in recent years, primarily because both nations are big agricultural countries and enjoy vast shared interests and ample room for cooperation in the area.

It is also because China has fully implemented its World Trade Organization commitments in the past decade, and reduced tariffs on farm products to one quarter of world average, said Xi.

In the past 10 years, China-U.S. agricultural trade grew more than 20 percent every year on average. Bilateral trade on farm products surpassed 30 billion U.S. dollars in 2011, making China the biggest export market for U.S. agricultural products, the vice president said.

The rapid increase in China-U.S. farm trade benefits the two peoples as high-quality farm products from both countries have found appropriate export markets, Xi said.

Moreover, the two countries have attached great importance to agriculture, and have conducted smooth and effective dialogue and substantial cooperation within such mechanisms as the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, and the China-U.S. Joint Commission on Agriculture, he said.

On further deepening China-U.S. agricultural cooperation, Xi called on both countries to enhance cooperation in science and technology, and make all efforts to improve the efficiency of agricultural production and push for sustainable development of agriculture.

Besides, the two countries should step up economic and trade cooperation, create a fair and rational market environment and fully tap their potential for cooperation, he said.

Both sides should also strengthen coordination and communication on international hotspot issues regarding agriculture and share information, Xi said.

In his speech, Xi also stressed the importance China places on supporting farmers and rural development, as well as on food security. China has always attached great importance to food security to ensure sufficient food supplies for its 1.3 billion people, Xi said.