Chinese Delegation Cancels farm trips

Chinese Delegation Cancels farm trips

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett

Chinese trade negotiators cancelled a planned visit to meet Montana and Nebraska farmers. They were expected to make visits and tour farm operations after trade talks in Washington.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue confirmed just Thursday the meetings were in the works as a way for China to build goodwill with American farmers.

But the Chinese delegation changed its schedule and headed back to China earlier than planned, according to the Montana Farm Bureau Federation. A spokeswoman said there was no explanation as to why they were cutting their trip short.

Nebraska department of agriculture also said the Chinese officials called off a visit to farms in Omaha.

The Chinese delegation was expected to join US trade negotiator Ambassador Robert Lighhizer and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin

The cancellation put in doubt hopes that China would start purchasing U.S. agricultural goods again, which it had halted in April in retaliation for President Donald Trump's tariffs.

China did say it plans to exclude American farm goods, including soybeans, from tariffs in a move to ease trade tensions before the two countries restart trade talks next month according to The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The U.S. is temporarily exempting more than 400 types of Chinese products from tariffs

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