Trade

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The historic “phase one” trade deal with China will boost American ag trade with the country, but it’s not likely to have a major impact on overall U.S. trade at a time when the farm sector here is increasingly dependent on international sales, USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson tells Agri-Pulse.

China has begun making policy changes and will soon be accepting applications for tariff exemptions as part of its agreements under the phase one trade pact with the U.S., the Trump administration announced Tuesday.

President Donald Trump this week goes to India, where he is expected to press Prime Minister Narendra Modi on protectionist moves that apparently scuttled plans for a bilateral trade agreement.

The U.S. has lifted its ban on Brazilian beef after shutting out the product more than two years ago because of repeated sanitary and health violations, according to USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

President Donald Trump announced Friday via Twitter that he is open to doling out billions of dollars in a third trade assistance package for farmers because of implementation delays in trade deals such as the "phase one" pact with China.

China will follow through with the billions of dollars in additional ag purchases that it promised to make as part of the “phase one” trade pact with the U.S., but the coronavirus outbreak may delay the sales, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters Thursday.

Farmers are expected to produce record amounts of meat, milk and major crops this year as the agriculture economy rebounds from 2019’s trade and weather disruptions, but exports are forecast to rise relatively modestly in coming months despite the new trade deal with China, USDA says.

President Donald Trump says he wants a trade agreement with India, but suggested Tuesday that a partial pact will come first, followed by a more comprehensive deal later this year or after the election.

The Trump administration continues to argue that it can use the threat of auto tariffs as a tool in negotiating trade agreements, but House Democrats are demanding that the Commerce Department report that supposedly justifies the threat be released publicly.

Four Democratic presidential candidates used a first-of-its kind town hall dedicated to America's infrastructure needs to push ambitious plans to expand rural broadband and fix the nation's transportation systems, including waterways, while also addressing climate change.