Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Trump are to meet face to face for the first time today in Florida, with analysts saying trade issues offer the most likely area for agreement. Three dozen senators wrote to Trump ahead of the two-day bilateral meeting to call on the Chinese to admit shipments of U.S. beef.
Sales were cut off in 2003, ostensibly as a safeguard against mad cow disease. China removed the ban last September but technical issues remain. “We request that you prioritize reaching an agreement that re-opens China’s market to U.S. beef during your meetings with President Xi and direct all relevant federal agencies to do the same,” said the letter organized by Montana’s senators and signed by 37 colleagues.
China is the second-largest beef importer in the world and the leading market for U.S. farm exports, which generate 20 cents of each $1 in farm income. Trump has threatened high tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, worrying farm groups about disruption in trade.
To read the letter to Trump, click here.