U.S. Invites Chinese and Russian Ag Officials for Key Food Security Meeting Amid Black Sea Grain Deal Fallout

In light of Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal, the United States has invited Chinese and Russian officials to a crucial food security meeting. Key figures from the U.S. and China might have the opportunity to discuss the repercussions of Russia’s decision in person next month.

Tang Renjian, China’s agriculture minister, has been invited to the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) food security ministerial meeting, scheduled for August 3 in Seattle, confirmed the Biden administration. The meeting will focus on the fallout from Russia’s decision to leave the Black Sea Grain Initiative and will be attended by major economies across Asia and North America. Western officials are hopeful that Beijing, a significant ally of Moscow, might persuade the Kremlin to rejoin the agreement, especially as China has been the largest recipient of grain shipments from Ukraine under the deal.

The U.S. has also extended an invitation to Russia, as it is an APEC member. Officials from the U.S., Europe, and China have publicly urged Moscow to extend the agreement, which has supplied crucial food resources to impoverished populations across Africa and the Middle East and helped stabilize soaring food prices.

However, since withdrawing from the agreement, Moscow has escalated its missile attacks on key Ukrainian Black Sea ports and threatened to target any commercial ship heading to the region, increasing the risk of conflict in this critical trade route and pushing global wheat prices sharply upward. This sudden supply loss and increase in grain prices are likely to affect Beijing, as China received approximately 25% of Ukraine’s grain shipments under the deal.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. has yet to respond to inquiries about the invitation and whether Tang plans to attend the Seattle gathering.

The food security ministerial meeting is part of the preparations for November’s APEC summit, which the United States is hosting in San Francisco and is expected to attract leaders from the APEC’s 22 member countries.

Russia’s decision to leave the Black Sea deal, which guaranteed safe passage for ships exporting Ukrainian grain, has disrupted global grain markets, affecting all major APEC member countries. Moscow, however, has not ruled out rejoining the deal if it secures more concessions, including an agreement to readmit Russia’s government-run agricultural bank to the global financial payments system known as SWIFT.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Western officials are working to find new ways to increase grain and other key commodity exports from Ukraine, including expanded overland routes.