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USMEF Statement on U.S.-China Phase One Trade Deal

Published: Dec 13, 2019

On Dec. 13, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the United States and China have reached a "Phase One" trade deal. More details are in this USTR press release.

USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom issued this statement:

China is the world's largest and fastest-growing destination for imported red meat, and the U.S. industry is excited about the prospects for expanded opportunities in China. We look forward to learning more details about this Phase One agreement.

U.S. pork and beef products have been subject to burdensome retaliatory duties in China since 2018, and this has made it very difficult for the U.S. industry to capitalize on China's rapidly growing need for high-quality proteins. But long before retaliatory duties entered the picture, non-tariff barriers were a major, persistent obstacle for U.S. exporters looking to expand their business in China. USMEF thanks the Trump administration for bringing these issues to the forefront in an effort to persuade China to follow international standards for red meat trade.

For more information, please contact:

Joe Schuele
jschuele@usmef.org
303-547-0030