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
Beijing’s refusal to order U.S. farm buys becomes pain point
China to request U.S. remove tariffs in exchange for ag buys
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
Industry reacts to divided vote, minority government
Ottawa — A regionally divided federal election resulting in a minority Liberal government leaves a clear challenge for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his caucus colleagues on how to handle the future of agriculture. Trudeau said clearly in his victory speech Monday night that Alberta and Saskatchewan are part of the country and will be […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans firm on Chinese trade prospects
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed on Tuesday on hopes of fresh export sales to China after Beijing gave major crushers waivers to import U.S. soybeans without retaliatory tariffs. Futures, however, drifted from early highs as new export deals failed to materialize and as farmers took advantage of the price spike to sell […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy decline as China trade uncertainty lingers
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures closed lower on Tuesday on technical selling and seasonal pressure from the expanding U.S. harvest, along with uncertainty about the terms of a U.S.-China trade pact announced last month, analysts said. Wheat followed the weaker trend, with all three markets retreating from multi-month highs established a […] Read more
Trump’s hailing of Chinese farm purchases seen as ‘meaningless’
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
U.S. grains: Corn jumps four per cent
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures surged more than four per cent on Friday while wheat and soybeans also firmed, buoyed by expectations for a partial U.S.-China trade deal and worries about wintry weather threatening crops in the Midwest, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade December corn settled up 17-1/2 cents at $3.97-3/4 a […] Read more
Japan trade deal aims to put U.S. farmers on par with TPP
Washington | Reuters — The new U.S.-Japan trade deal will provide staged reduction of Japanese tariffs for more than US$2 billion worth of U.S. beef and pork, matching access now granted to the 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact countries, a text of the agreement shows. U.S. President Donald Trump presided over a White House signing […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus expects tough year on trade war, swine fever
Paris | Reuters — Agricultural commodity giant Louis Dreyfus warned on Monday that international trade tensions and a swine disease epidemic would continue to weigh on its activities in the rest of the year after pushing down first-half profit. The interim results reversed a rebound in group profits in the second half of last year […] Read more
U.S. set to widen trade war on EU front
London/Brussels/Washington | Reuters — The United States won approval on Wednesday to impose import tariffs on US$7.5 billion worth of European aircraft and agricultural goods over illegal EU subsidies handed to Airbus, threatening to trigger a tit-for-tat transatlantic trade war as the global economy falters. The decision by the World Trade Organization pushes a 15-year […] Read more
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