WASHINGTON - China and the United States signed here on Friday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to guide future communication and cooperation between the two sides in terms of global development.

The document, signed by Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng and Alfonso Lenhardt, acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, raised the level of bilateral cooperation and communication in global development and enriched the connotation of bilateral ties.

The purpose of the MOU is to provide a framework regarding the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in international development to help achieve two sides' shared objective in the areas of ending poverty and hunger, promoting sustainable development, and implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Recognizing the principle of "raised, agreed and led by recipient countries" as a prerequisite for all China-U.S. cooperation, the MOU identified several domains for China-U.S. cooperation, including food security and nutrition, sustainable agriculture, public health security, humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness, among others.

The MOU also established a mechanism for communication on global development issues and common development challenges.

In recent years, China and the United States have already cooperated in several areas to promote international development. They have launched joint efforts in areas such as agricultural and training programs in East Timor and Afghanistan, and in the fight against Ebola in West Africa.