The remarks came after president Trump said Thursday that he had asked the U.S. Trade Representative to consider 100 billion U.S. dollars of additional tariffs on Chinese products.
Xinhuanet.com was told China will continue reforms and opening up, safeguard multilateral trade, and promote trade and investment liberalization.
Meanwhile, threats and counter-threats of tariffs have rippled out all over the world, and into the Northwest’s Rogue Valley as well.
“Any time there are talks that could affect the import/export business, there is concern fresh fruit and produce can get caught up in the fight,” said Scott Martinez, vice president of sales for Rivermaid Trading Co. “We need every market available to successfully market pears.”
In recent years, Northwest pear growers have exported a third of their winter pear crop. More and more, Asia has become an attractive market.
“China has the potential to be a huge market for us,” said Mike Naumes, president of Naumes Inc., the largest pear grower in the Rogue Valley, and formerly the nation’s largest. “Unfortunately, agriculture is always the scapegoat in trade wars.”
Growers such as Naumes have painstakingly developed alternative markets after Russian President Vladimir Putin slammed the door on American apples and pears in August 2014. The U.S. has been China’s top supplier of apples, cherries, walnuts and almonds in recent years.
Although the tariffs generally go into effect quickly, there is no sense of impending doom. Martinez, who markets Naumes pears, said one need look no further than the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“When you look at pear crops coming out of the Northwest, Canada and Mexico are the two huge markets for us,” said Martinez. “Although there is a lot of rhetoric about the change to NAFTA, we really haven’t seen it yet.” He said Northwest apple and pear growers will depend more on Taiwan, India and the Middle East.
