China and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on foreign aid cooperation on Friday in Washington during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the US.

Focusing mainly on foreign aid in agriculture, health and human resources training, the Sino-US cooperation and communication development memorandum, signed by Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng and Alfonso Lenhardt from the US Agency for International Development, enriched bilateral ties, said Wang Shengwen, director-general of the Commerce Ministry's Foreign Aid Department.

"The Sino-US cooperation in international assistance is a high-light in bilateral collaboration between the two countries," said Wang.

"The joint efforts play a significant role in eliminating global poverty and hunger."

According to the ministry, China and the US have carried out joint pilot projects in East Timor and Afghanistan in the past two years to help local governments with their agricultural and training development. The programs have been well-received, it said.

Medical cooperation between China and the US during their joint efforts in helping West Africa combat the deadly Ebola epidemic last year also laid a foundation for the two governments, the ministry said.

According to Lu Jing, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University specializing in foreign aid, the collaboration in foreign assistance opens a new chapter of cooperation between the world's two biggest economies.

"China has a deeper understanding and insight of what the recipient countries are in need of and how to provide the assistance, while the US has a more mature system and institutions", said Lu.

"The collaboration will benefit the whole world."

Wang said that all joint efforts on foreign aid will only be conducted after the recipient country agrees with the assistance and determines how assistance is to be offered.

Despite differences, China and the US share the same mission of promoting development of the world and eliminating global hunger and poverty, he said.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/26/2015 page2)