Chicken feet, pork feet and pig ears have higher appeal in China than they do to American consumers, just one more way American protein producers and China can have win-win relations in the field of agriculture, Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang said Saturday.

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President and CEO Shane Smith of Smithfield and team hosted Qin and his delegation, including representatives from China’s agricultural sector, at their processing plant in Denison, Iowa.

As guests they were treated to a down-home lunch after a detailed presentation highlighting Smithfield’s success since being acquired by China’s WH group for $7.1 billion in 2013.  Smithfield has operations in the U.S., China, Mexico and Europe.

Ambassador Qin is on a three-state agricultural tour of the American Midwest concluding next week. 

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