US Scores Win With China Rice Deal

A big win for the US amid troubled trade talks with China: After more than a decade of disagreement on the issue, Beijing has agreed to allow rice imports from the US for the first time, the BBC reports. Industry organization USA Rice says the deal includes strict standards to prevent farmers accidentally exporting pests to China, which consumes the equivalent of the entire US annual rice output every two weeks. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the deal is an "exceptional opportunity" for US farmers. But broader talks to reduce the $347 billion US trade deficit with China broke up this week without a joint statement, Bloomberg reports. (More China stories.)