12. China and the United States commit to conduct high-level and expert discussions commencing in early 2016 to provide a forum to support and exchange views on judicial reform and identify and evaluate the challenges and strategies in implementing the rule of law. US participants are to include leading members of the US judiciary, US government legal policy experts, and officials from the Departments of Commerce and Justice and the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Chinese participants are to include officials from the Central Leading Group on Judicial Reform, leading members of the Chinese judiciary, and Chinese government legal policy experts. This dialogue is to result in an improvement in the transparency and predictability of the business environment. This dialogue does not replace, duplicate or weaken existing regular bilateral legal and human rights dialogues between China and the United States.
13. With strengthening policies to promote agricultural innovation and food security and to advance sustainable development as the themes of the Strategic Agricultural Innovation Dialogue (SAID), the two sides discussed food security, agricultural biotechnology, big data and information technology innovation, environmental management and sustainable development, agricultural and support programs, and plans for future bilateral dialogue and cooperation. Both countries commit to strengthen cooperation and create an enabling environment for agricultural innovation in the two countries and the world at large.
14. China's Minister of Agriculture and the US Secretary of Agriculture held a bilateral meeting on agricultural cooperation and renewed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China and the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America on Cooperation in Agriculture and Related Fields, to promote comprehensive, sustained, and balanced development of agricultural cooperation between both countries.
15. China and the United States conducted in-depth discussions on the administration of agricultural biotechnology, and committed to further improve approval processes. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of implementing timely, transparent, predictable, and science-based approval processes for products of agricultural biotechnology, which are based on international standards. Both sides committed to strengthen policy formulation and information exchange, share experience in and practices of research and development, regulatory administration, and safety approval of agricultural biotechnology; further revise and improve regulation, based on comprehensive consultations with domestic and international stakeholders; and, enhance capabilities in safety administration and safety approval of agricultural biotechnology products.
16. China and the United States reiterate their support for efforts to enhance the connection between their financial markets, consistent with their respective laws and requirements.
17. The Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of China and the United States are to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning cooperation in the exchange of information related to money laundering and terrorist financing. According to the MOU, the two FIUs commit to cooperate on the collection, analysis and exchange of financial information related to money laundering, terrorist financing, and related crimes on a reciprocal basis.
18. China and the United States acknowledge that green finance can be of great significance to environmental protection, pollution reduction, and sustainable development. Both sides welcome efforts that further green finance and cooperation in this field.
19. China and the United States reaffirm their commitment to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of their respective country and military, facilitate sustained and substantive dialogues and communication, and further advance the development of the China-US military-to-military relationship. Building on the two Memoranda of Understanding on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) signed by the two sides in China in November 2014, the two sides completed new annexes on air-to-air safety and crisis communications. The two sides agreed to continue discussions on additional annexes to the Notification of Major Military Activities CBM, and to deepen exchanges and cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter-piracy, and international peacekeeping. At the invitation of the United States Pacific Command, the Chinese Navy will participate in the RIMPAC-2016 joint exercise.
20. The two sides will encourage the China Coast Guard and the US Coast Guard to sign cooperation documents and facilitate cooperation between the two agencies in such areas as personnel exchanges, vessel visits, intelligence and information sharing and joint campaign against illegal and criminal activities at sea. The China Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard have committed in principle that the two sides would negotiate to sign the rules of behavior of the two coast guards by consulting the Rules of Behavior Confidence Building Measure, annex on surface-to-surface encounters in the November 2014 Memorandum of Understanding between the People' s Republic of China Ministry of National Defense and the United States Department of Defense.
21. Acknowledging the importance of the ongoing AP1000 projects in Sanmen and Haiyang, relevant companies of the two countries would work together for the early and safe operation of Unit 1 at Sanmen. The Chinese side welcomes the renewal of the China-US Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.
22. The two sides expressed satisfaction with the efforts under existing nuclear cooperation mechanisms, and decided to continue and intensify mutually-beneficial practical cooperation on technology research and development. The National Energy Administration of China and the US Department of Energy planned to hold the 8th Joint Working Meeting under the China-US Bilateral Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperative Action Plan this October in China. The National Energy Administration of China and the National Nuclear Security Administration of the US Department of Energy will hold the 11th Annual China-US Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technologies Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting in 2016 in the United States.
23. The two sides attach great importance to exchanges and cooperation in the area of clean energy and fully recognize the collaboration and outcomes of the China-US Clean Energy Research Center (CERC). To implement the consensus reached by the two presidents in Beijing on jointly developing clean energy and addressing the challenge of climate change, the two sides signed the Amendment to the Protocol for Cooperation on CERC to formally launch CERC Phase II. The two sides announce the expansion of cooperative research and development under CERC by launching a new technical track to improve the energy efficiency of medium-duty to heavy-duty trucks. This initiative is expected to accelerate the development of high energy efficiency trucks and their introduction into the markets of both countries, leading to significant reductions in oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.
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