BEIJING—Chinese companies have started to inquire about prices for U.S. agricultural goods purchases, Beijing said on Sept. 12, in a further sign of potential de-escalation in the bitter and protracted trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
The move comes before a planned meeting in early October between top U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators in Washington aimed at easing a trade conflict.
On Wednesday, Beijing and Washington both made concessions on planned tariffs, helping lift global stocks as well as China’s yuan currency.
Speaking at a weekly news briefing in Beijing on Thursday, Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said China welcomed the U.S. move.
“According to my understanding, Chinese firms have started to inquire about prices for U.S. agricultural goods. (China) hopes both sides would continue to meet each other half way and adopt concrete actions to create favorable conditions for negotiations,” Gao said.
Possible purchases of U.S. farm goods included pork and soybeans, Gao said, both of which are still subject to hefty Chinese duties.
Despite tariffs of 62 percent in place since last year, U.S. exports of pork to China jumped 51 percent in the first seven months of 2019 over last year to 240,000 tonnes, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
China reduced purchases of U.S. farm products in August, after President Donald Trump vowed to impose new tariffs on around $300 billion of Chinese goods, blaming Beijing for not having fulfilled a promise to buy large volumes of U.S. farm products and abruptly dimming prospects of a trade deal.
Gao said working-level teams from both countries would meet soon to prepare for the next round of top-level talks between Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
Earlier on Wednesday, China announced it was exempting 16 types of U.S. products from tariffs, including some anti-cancer drugs and lubricants, as well as animal feed ingredients whey and fish meal.
