US state hopes to expand business

WASHINGTON - The secretary of agriculture for the US state of Iowa expects Vice-President Xi Jinping's ongoing visit to the country will promote the state's agricultural exports through lucrative trade agreements with China.

"The benefits of trade with China are enormous for us. I don't know whether there is an agreement yet, but hopefully, likely and probably, it will be something involving soybeans, pork and corn," Bill Northey, the state's agriculture secretary, said in Washington prior to Xi's visit.

"I am looking forward to building better connections and having longer conversations about what we can do to build more business relationships between Iowa and China," he said.