Progress on Implementing the Phase One Trade Deal with China

Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer both say China is implementing its Phase One agricultural commitments.  Pushing back against fears that the coronavirus could impact or delay portions of the recently signed agreement, Perdue and Lighthizer argued in a joint statement that China is implementing its ag commitments.

“We’ve got numbers, hardline numbers, on an annual basis…and we expect China to live up (to) that," Ag Secretary Perdue said.  "Ambassador Lighthizer, really, in the agreement that’s signed and dated, has some hardline, enforceable numbers, that are unilaterally enforceable by the implementation of more tariffs, if they don’t live up to that.”

China’s actions since the February 14^th deal implementation include allowing imports of U.S. chipping potatoes; lifting a ban on U.S. poultry and pet food with poultry; updating lists of feed and seafood and facilities ok’d for exporting; and starting ag retaliatory tariff reductions and exclusions.  And Perdue said full implementation of Ag sales is expected as time marches on.

“We think they will come. We expect I’m hoping, certainly by the spring; how long the coronavirus is going to last, you tell me, I don’t know, but we hope it’s a, we hope it’s on the decrease, but we don’t know that, yet.”

Perdue stressed that the administration expects to realize negotiated benefits with China this year, further discounting speculation first-year benefits could slip into 2021.

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