Trade

Top U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators this week talked by phone and made plans to resume telephonic communications in two weeks. According to a statement released by one of China’s state-run media outlets, XinhuaNet, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, joined by Commerce Minister Zhong Shan and Ning Jizhe, vice chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, conducted the call on Aug. 13 with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, during which “China lodged solemn representations concerning U.S additional tariffs on…Chinese imports ... Read More

China’s Ministry of Commerce announced Aug. 6 that it would suspend all U.S. agricultural purchases in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a new 10 percent tariff on $300 billion of Chinese imports starting Sept. 1. The country also said it would reverse its decision to exempt some soybean importers from tariffs starting Aug. 3. “This is a serious violation of the meeting between the heads of state of China and the United States,” the Chinese government said in a statement. In series of Aug. 1 tweets, Trump outlined his plan to impose new tariffs, saying China ... Read More

The Senate Finance Committee heard endorsements for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) from witnesses representing agriculture, automotive, trucking and small business during a July 30 hearing. “The agriculture and food industry represents the largest segment of U.S. manufacturing jobs and 12 percent of the American economy,” testified Corteva Agriscience CEO Jim Collins. “It is in our country’s best interest to stand by them and support the passage of the USMCA.” Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, now U.S. Dairy Export Council president and CEO, noted the agreement would ... Read More

In another unpredictable turn in the U.S.-China trade situation, President Donald Trump announced he will impose new tariffs of 10 percent on another $300 billion of Chinese imports starting Sept. 1. In series of Aug. 1 tweets, Trump said China had not lived up to promises Chinese President Xi Jinping allegedly made to resume large-scale purchases of U.S. agricultural products during a June meeting in Osaka, Japan, where the two leaders had agreed to restart trade negotiations and defer implementation of additional tariffs. “I think President Xi…wants to make a deal. But frankly, he’s ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Representatives of poultry, cattle and pork producer groups told lawmakers this week that ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the restoration of  U.S. agricultural exports to China are the most pressing issues for their industries. During a House Agriculture Committee hearing on July 16, David Herring, president of the National Pork Producers Council, said retaliatory trade tariffs imposed by China and other countries pose “one of the most damaging threats” to the pork industry. Pork producers ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Despite lofty expectations emanating from the U.S.-China meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Japan in June, progress toward resuming substantive trade negotiations appear to be at a standstill for the time being. After President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met, Trump tweeted that China would be buying “tremendous” amounts of agricultural commodities. But according to members of the Chinese delegation, the Chinese made no such promises until the U.S. eases restrictions on Huawei Technologies, Inc., in ... Read More

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met with House Democrats on July 11 to discuss what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has characterized as “surgical changes” they wish to incorporate into the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). During a conference call that evening with the NGFA and other industry groups, USTR officials said the meeting had gone “extremely well” but made it clear that the engagement with House Democrats will be a process of ongoing discussion that will take time to complete. This week’s meeting focused on House Democrats’ insistence on strengthening the ... Read More

House Democrats indicated this week they expect to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this year, but not before securing substantial changes that would boost enforcement of labor provisions, among other issues. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Democrats discussed enforcement, labor, environment and drug prices in a June 26 meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. During a meeting attended by NGFA the previous day, Pelosi indicated that she believed it is possible that changes to USMCA’s text could be “surgical” and apply only to the enforcement aspects ... Read More