Republican Lawmakers Seek Answers From Biden on Failed Chinese Purchase Commitments
The Biden administration hasn’t “sufficiently” reported to Congress on China’s failure to meet agricultural purchase commitments under the phase one trade deal and should look for ways to better enforce the agreement, more than 50 Republican lawmakers said in a Feb. 15 letter to the White House. The lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., asked Biden to explain what actions his administration is taking to hold China “accountable” for its purchase failures, whether it’s considering negotiating a new deal and when it intends to nominate a USDA undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.
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The lawmakers said China has clearly violated the purchase terms of the phase one deal and urged the administration to seek “damages,” adding that a lack of enforcement could set a “detrimental precedent” for future trade negotiations. “Again, we urge you to take immediate steps to rectify the unbalanced agricultural trade relationship with China; work towards new enforceable commitments from China; and pursue additional trade deals with other markets amenable to U.S. agricultural goods,” the letter said. The White House didn’t comment.