China could remove extra tariffs on US farm goods to boost imports - trade association chief

Beijing could remove extra tariffs imposed since last year on U.S. farm products to ease the way for importers to buy up to $50 billion worth, rather than direct them to buy specific amounts, the head of a government-backed trade association said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that China had pledged to spend between $40 billion and $50 billion on U.S. agricultural products annually as part of a deal to end a trade war that broke out last year. But the demand has become a major sticking point in the bilateral trade talks, as Beijing wants to buy based on market conditions instead of committing to a large figure and a specific time frame.

“What the government can do is to remove the extra tariffs, both sides need to do this. Then let the companies make the purchases based on their own will, and based on market rules,” Cao Derong, President of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA) told.

Cao added that this would create conditions for a “convenient” and “good” trade environment, rather than obliging firms to buy a certain amount of product during a certain period of time.