Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Western Coordinating Committee - 101

Business Meeting Minutes
Sonoma California, 10 April 2001

Frank Fuller (chair) called the meeting to order at about 11:30. He welcomed all members and participants to the meeting and commended the workshop‘s organizing committee.

1. The committee examined the minutes from the last business meeting and passed them without amendment.

2. The first order of business was the election of a new committee secretary/vice chair and selection of the next workshop‘s coordinator. [Brad Gilmour, the current secretary/vice chair, will move into the chair effective after the business meeting.] Chair Fuller opened the floor to nominations.

Brad Gilmour nominated Cathy Durham for secretary/vice chair. Tom Wahl nominated Bryan Lohmar. Both Cathy and Bryan graciously accepted their nominations.

The ensuing election resulted in a dead heat. In keeping with Florida‘s constitutional role, Jim Seale offered to vote twice to break the deadlock, but his offer was declined. Tom Wahl and Frank Fuller suggested that committee members and candidates revisit the selection of candidates after discussing the possible sites for the next WCC workshop.

3. Portland (Oregon) and Washington (D.C.) were put forward as possible sites for the next two workshops. If the workshop is held in Portland, Cathy Durham agreed to serve as workshop coordinator. If the workshop is held in Washington, Bryan Lohmar agreed to serve as workshop coordinator. Both prospective workshop coordinators presented excellent cases for their respective centers. In the end, Washington came out the winner by a whisker.

4. As Bryan Lohmar agreed to serve as the next workshop‘s coordinator, Frank Fuller suggested that Cathy Durham should become the next secretary/vice chair as this would spread the work and maintain the broad geographic appeal of the workshop. Both the candidates and the membership agreed that this made sense.

5. Dan Sumner observed that alternating between coasts for the location of the workshop had some appeal. He also noted the strong case made for Portland and suggested that the membership commit to Portland for the workshop after the next. The membership concurred, barring something unforeseen.

6. Bryan Lohmar suggested that the committee may want to take a thematic approach to the next workshop, possibly focussing on the input sector. Members indicated that they would reflect on it, but that it might be too early to commit to a particular theme. Various members (Chern, Sternquist, Sumner, Durham) emphasized the importance of reflecting on the needs of industry.
7. Committee members were encouraged to think of possible new recruits / colleagues who might be interested in joining WCC and extending its influence, coverage and appeal.

8. Tom Wahl and Frank Fuller encouraged presenters to submit their final manuscripts for publication in the proceedings by 23 April. Members are to submit their papers to Charli Hochsprung at WSU, and cc a copy to Frank and Tom.

9. As there was no other business, John Beghin moved that the meeting be adjourned, seconded by Jim Seale. Chair Fuller adjourned the meeting at approximately 12:25.

Agricultural Trade with China in the New Economic and Policy Environment  A Symposium was held at the Westerbeke Ranch near Sonoma, CA on April 8-10, 2001. The meeting was organized by Dan Sumner of the Ag Issues Center, University of California, Davis. An industry tour of area wine exporters was conducted on April 9 prior to the official meeting.

A proceedings from the meeting has been produced and is available at the WCC-101web site: http://china.wsu.edu

April 9, 2001
Session 1. Changes in Trade Policies
Chinas Accession to WTO Would Boost World Trade of Edible Oils
Hsin-Hui Hsu and Francis Tuan, USDA, ERS
Barriers and Uncertainties in the Implementation of the Ag Provisions of the US-China and WTO Trade Agreement
Fred Crook, The China Group
Comparative Advantage and Trade Competitiveness
Francis Tuan, Guoqiang Cheng and Tingjun Peng, USDA, ERS
Outlook for Chinas Pork Trade with the US under the US China Relations Act
William Amponsah and Xiang Dong Qin, North Carolina A&T University

Session II. Household and Retail Issues
How does Migration Affect Household Income in Rural China
Alan deBrauw, Scott Rozelle and Ed Taylor, University of California, Davis
State as Strategist in Chinas Retail Food Industry Liberalization: The Case of Foreign Retailers and E-Retailing
Brenda Sternquist, Michigan State University
The Effects of Imperfect Markets: The Case Study of Backyard Hog Raising in China
Jing Chen, Colin Carter and Scott Rozelle, University of California Davis

Session III. Production Issues
Genetic Diversity and Total Factor Productivity: The Case of Wheat in China
Songqing Jin, Scott Rozelle, Erika Meng, Ruifa Hu and Jikun Huang, University of California, Davis
Inter-fiber Competition: Cottons Declining Market Share in China
Cheng Fang, Hunter Colby and Bruce Babcock, Iowa State University
Impact of Housing and Health Care Reforms on Urban Food and Clothing Consumption in China: Evidence from Urban Household Survey Data
Cheng Fang, FranK Fuller and John Beghin, Iowa State University
The Role of the Land Rental market in Chinas Agricultural Transformation
Bryan Lohmar, Zhaoxin Zhang and Agapi Somwaru, USDA, ERS

Session IV. Implications of WTO
Chinas Prospective Impact on International Agri-Food Markets and Policies  Rivalries, Complementarities, Challenges and Opportunities
Brad Gilmour, Agriculture and AgriFood Canada

Agricultural Trade with China in the New Economic and Policy Environment. Thomas I. Wahl and Daniel Sumner, eds. The IMPACT Center, PO Box 646214, Pullman, WA 99164-6214.

For full PDF version see www.china.wsu.edu