Morton Salt, the largest salt producer in the United States, has signed trademark and technology licensing agreements with the China National Salt (Shanghai) Co. The joint venture will import, market and sell a broad array of packaged Morton culinary salts, water softening salts and Epsom salts across China. In addition to these finished goods, the JV is building a new packaging facility in Shanghai to increase its production and distribution of selected salt products in the country. The new operation is expected to be completed in March 2015. China is currently the largest salt-consuming country due to its expanding chemical industry and the dietary needs of its people. Chinese consumption accounts for one-quarter of the global total. The country is projected to be the largest salt importer in the world, according to British-based Roskill Information. Morton products account for more than 50% of the salt market in the U.S. Its products have been imported to China on a small scale over the past decade. Morton’s products account for nearly 60% of the imported salt market in China, and its sales are growing by 30% every year. The setting up of the joint venture also illustrates the reform in the Chinese government’s salt monopoly. In the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, foreign investors are already allowed to sell salt at the wholesale level.