U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Friday that China may not be able to meet its annual agricultural procurement commitments under the first phase of the U.S.-China trade deal because of “other trade issues unrelated to agriculture,” but he did not specify what “trade issues” he was referring to.
I’m not sure if the Chinese government will be able to meet their goals, but they are trying,” he said at a town hall meeting with U.S. farmers that day. Non-agricultural trade issues are affecting progress on this front.”
In a trade agreement with the U.S. signed earlier this year, China pledged to import $36.5 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products this year. But China’s purchases slowed in the first half of the year due to the new crown epidemic and other factors, making it significantly more difficult to meet the full-year target.
According to the latest U.S. government data, China imported a total of only $8.6 billion in U.S. agricultural products from January through July of this year, but its purchases accelerated significantly in the following two months.
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