Reading Time: 2 minutes Geneva | Reuters — The fate of the World Trade Organization’s top court was effectively sealed on Monday after the United States said it would not back a proposal to allow it to continue, trade officials said, although the WTO chief vowed to find a solution. The Trump administration has been blocking appointments to the […] Read more
U.S. seals demise of WTO appeals bench, trade officials say
Vietnam considers CPTPP-level tariff cuts on U.S. ag products
Reading Time: 2 minutes Hanoi | Reuters — Vietnam is considering cutting tariffs on several U.S. products, the ministry of finance said in a statement on Monday, after U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross urged Vietnam to reduce its trade surplus during a visit to Hanoi last month. Tariffs on chicken and processed chicken meat, almonds, grapes, wheat, pork and […] Read more
EU lawmakers clear U.S. beef imports but fault U.S. tariffs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — European Union lawmakers approved an increase in U.S. beef imports to the EU on Thursday, a move likely to ease transatlantic tensions. But they also criticized tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on metal imports and a threat he has made to target EU cars and car parts. The European […] Read more
U.S. corn exports falter, soybean business could meet same fate
Reading Time: 4 minutes Fort Collins | Reuters – It is no secret that overseas demand for U.S. corn has been downright terrible as of late, and relief does not seem likely in the immediate term as purchase commitments remain dismal. Forward sales for U.S. soybeans are nothing to brag about either, but soy exporters have enjoyed more success recently than […] Read more
Beijing’s refusal to order U.S. farm buys becomes pain point
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington/Beijing/Reuters – U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that Beijing commit to big purchases of American farm products has become a major sticking point in talks to end the Sino-U.S. trade war, according to several people briefed on the negotiations. Trump has said publicly that China could buy as much as $50 billion of U.S. farm […] Read more
China to request U.S. remove tariffs in exchange for ag buys
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters – Top U.S. and Chinese trade officials will discuss plans on Friday for China to buy more U.S. farm products, but in return, Beijing will request cancellation of some planned and existing U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, people briefed on the talks told Reuters. Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, U.S. […] Read more
Trump’s hailing of Chinese farm purchases seen as ‘meaningless’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China is still a long way from forking out US$50 billion for farm goods from the United States, agriculture industry analysts said on Monday, cautioning that getting there is contingent on removing substantial technical and political hurdles. Outlining the first phase of a deal to end a trade war with China, […] Read more
China to exempt U.S. pork, soybeans from additional tariffs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Shanghai | Reuters — China will exempt some agricultural products from additional tariffs on U.S. goods, including pork and soybeans, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Friday, in the latest sign of easing Sino-U.S. tensions before a new round of talks aimed at curbing a bruising trade war. The United States and China have both […] Read more
Global wheat production to decrease, USDA says
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — In the latest supply and demand report from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the global wheat forecast was revised downward due to difficult weather conditions. USDA has now projected 765.53 million tonnes of wheat to be produced in 2019-20, according to the department’s world agriculture supply and demand estimates (WASDE), released Thursday. That’s […] Read more
China strikes back at U.S. with new tariffs on soybeans, beef, pork, more
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beijing | Reuters — China said Friday it will impose retaliatory tariffs against about US$75 billion worth of U.S. goods, putting as much as an extra 10 per cent on top of existing rates in the dispute between the world’s top two economies. The latest salvo from China comes after the United States unveiled tariffs […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
