HU Yanan has been the acting division director of the Department of International Cooperation, part of the Ministry of Agriculture, since 1995. He is in charge of scientific and economic cooperation between China and America in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry and fishing. Over the years, he has been involved in ten economic and technical assistance projects (e.g. Lean Swine project and Dairy project) that were jointly financed by the governments of Australia, Canada and China. From 1987 to 1988, for example, he participated in a working team that was sent to Bama County in the Guanxi Autonomous Region (one of the minority province) by the Ministry of Agriculture to help the local people improve their economy and alleviate poverty.

He participated in a two-year training course at Nanjing's Agricultural University, and also received training at the Egyptian International Agriculture Center for poultry production.