Economics

U.S. Trade Talks With China Are Very ‘Dynamic,’ Perdue Says

  • China has offered ‘attractive numbers’ for U.S. farm purchases
  • There are still concerns over areas such as biotech, he says

Containers sit stacked at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai, China.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

China has offered the U.S. some “very attractive numbers” for purchases of farm goods as part of “dynamic” trade talks, but there are still concerns over areas such as biotechnology, according to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.

While parts of the agriculture deal are done, the U.S. is still ironing out details including how commitments will be enforced and implemented, he told reporters at the National Grain and Feed Association’s annual convention in Amelia Island, Florida. The U.S. is concerned about setting up a framework that would allow agriculture biotech innovations to flow into China in the future without being curbed by non-tariff barriers, he said.