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Vilsack says China’s not meeting Phase One trade requirements

More can be done with China on trade.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says China needs to step up purchases of U.S. goods to meet Phase One trade requirements. “They could be doing more on the biofuels side, they could be doing more with dried distillers grain and they could be doing more with dairy,” he said. “Certainly corn and soybeans and some other commodities- they are purchasing fairly significant amounts to the point where we’re probably back to where we were pre-tariff and pre-pandemic for sure.”

Vilsack says the overall market share with China has suffered from the trade war. “Prior to the tariffs assessed by the Trump administration, we had about 25 percent of their market,” he said. “Today is about 15 percent. I raised that issue with the minister but it’s incumbent upon us to continue to make the case to continue to press their responsibilities under Phase One.”

He says China needs the U.S. export market. “They may not like that. They may not want to have to acknowledge that but at the end of the day they can’t grow enough unlike the United States to feed their own people,” Vilsack said.

Vilsack made his comments at a National Press Club event. 

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