Farmers in the US cannot afford to lose the Chinese market, but farmers in China will be able to withstand the impact of American tariffs, according to a top agriculture official in Beijing.
Han Jun, vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said China’s retaliatory tariffs on American products now covered “virtually all US agricultural product exports to China”, warning that US farmers could lose the Chinese market for good.
Han, who is also a top policymaker as deputy head of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Rural Affairs, said the two rounds of aid offered by US President Donald Trump to American farmers would not be enough to cover their potential losses if they lost the Chinese market.