The Chinese government-run China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) was to formally sign an agreement on August 12, 2014, to import 100,000 tonnes of rice from Cambodia. Representatives from COFCO and Green Trade Co, a Cambodian government-owned agriculture firm, met in Beijing to sign the agreement, which takes effect this month and is valid for one year. Ken Ratha, spokesperson of Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce said “Cambodia and China have long been trade partners and the fact that Cambodia is a reliable supplier has built trust for this deal.” Separately, David Van, President of local rice producing firm, Boost Riche Cambodia, said “The South China Sea dispute lately may have also played indirectly a part in China wanting to diversify its rice import base as imports from Vietnam hit a substantial figure. China imported over 66 per cent of its total rice imports from Vietnam in 2013, while only 1 per cent came from Cambodia."