Articles Tagged with ''Robert Lighthizer''

The U.S. and China are set to begin trade talks again after a tumultuous week of tension-escalating threats of new tariffs and tariff-rate increases that roiled international markets and alarmed the U.S. ag sector.

President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed that the U.S. and Japan have reached a preliminary deal to lower Japanese tariffs and increase market share for U.S. agricultural commodities. The deal, as reported Saturday by Agri-Pulse, is already being lauded as a success for farmers by major U.S. ag groups.

U.S. and Japanese negotiators have reached an “agreement in principle” on a trade deal that would lower Japan’s tariffs on U.S. agricultural commodities and spare Japan from threatened U.S. industrial tariffs, sources — confirming reports out of Japan — tell Agri-Pulse.

China on Thursday issued a stern new warning that it will be forced to retaliate if the U.S. follows through on a threat to levy new import tariffs, beginning Sept. 1.

Top U.S. and Chinese trade officials met over the phone Tuesday to try to further negotiations to end the countries’ trade war, said to President Donald Trump, who said the negotiations were “productive” and offered optimism that a conclusion could come soon.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will hit roughly $300 billion worth of Chinese goods — effectively the only goods remaining untaxed in the ongoing trade war — with a 10% tariff on Sept. 1, raising concerns that the recently renewed trade talks are not going well.

The U.S. and China have wrapped up their first round of face-to-face trade negotiations since talks fell apart in May and both sides agreed to meet again in September as President Donald Trump continues to tone down expectations of a quick resolution.

The Trump administration’s trade negotiations pick up this week with both China and Japan, while the Agriculture Department starts accepting applications for the latest round of trade assistance being offered to farmers as compensation for the impact of retaliatory tariffs.