China represents a vital market for US beef exports, accounting for 100 million dollars of beef exports before the 2003 ban, he said. "This is an important step in our efforts to restore beef trade based on internationally recognized guidelines," Johanns said.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi (L) confers with US Trade Representative Rob Portman at the Department of Commerce in Washington DC. China announced it would lift a ban on US beef imports and unveiled a raft of lucrative business deals in a bid to placate US complaints over their heavily skewed trade relationship. [AFP]

Apart from trade negotiations with US officials, Wu Yi also announced that Chinese government had signed 107 contracts with US companies worth a total of 16.2 billion dollars.

She led a mission of some 200 business leaders, including 150 chief executives from the country's booming economy. The signed deals covered a range of sectors, including electronics, auto parts, heavy equipment and software.

At the conclusion of the trade talks, China was to sign a deal with the US aviation giant Boeing formalizing the purchase of 80 next generation 737 planes by the China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Group.

A Boeing official put the value of the deal at 4.6 billion dollars.

The deal is expected to be finalized with individual Chinese carriers in the next few weeks.

The agreement is in addition to 70 airplanes China agreed to buy from the Chicago-based jetmaker in November, as part of a planned 150-plane purchase.

It was announced amid high-level meetings between Chinese and U.S. officials, and comes a week before Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to visit the United States. His trip includes a tour of Boeing's Everett, Wash. plant.

In December, China agreed to buy 150 of rival Airbus SAS' jets, in a deal valued at more than $9 billion at list prices.

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