The United States is one of many exporters eager to gain broader access to China's 1.2 billion people. China protects its markets through a variety of prohibitive tariff regimes, but the import taxes have increasingly come under attack -- especially since China joined the World Trade Organization in December 2001. Though not a net coffee exporter itself, the United States will benefit if enough countries begin challenging China's trade regimes and forcing reductions in tariffs.

Uganda's effort to sell coffee in China fits in with this U.S. strategy. The United States has funded the marketing initiative through the Competitive Private Enterprise and Trade Expansion (COMPETE) program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. COMPETE is designed to help Uganda improve its export competitiveness and increase its foreign exchange earnings.

The program has already begun to have some success that could translate into benefits for the United States. The first shipment of beans to China will test the market. The state-run Ugandan Coffee Development Authority and the Beijing North Star Industrial Group, a government-owned entity, have formed a joint venture to market Ugandan coffee in selected cafes around the country. The deal is the first step toward opening Chinese markets to Ugandan exports, with the eventual goal of tapping into China's emerging urban class and replicating the success of U.S.-based Starbucks Corp.