US apples to tickle Chinese taste buds

China has agreed to import all varieties of apples from the United States, the US Department of Agriculture said on Monday.

The green light for the shipments follows an agreement signed by the USDA and China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in San Francisco, California over the weekend.

"The efforts will result in high quality, fresh US apple varieties being made available to consumers in China and boost sales for American apple producers," said Tom Vilsack, the US secretary of agriculture, in a statement.