China will lift punitive tariffs imposed on U.S. soybeans and pork in a trade war with Washington, a state news agency said Friday, adding to conciliatory gestures by the two sides ahead of negotiations.
China will suspend tariff hikes on soybeans, pork and some other farm goods, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Cabinet planning agency and the Commerce Ministry. It said Beijing "supports domestic companies in purchasing a certain amount of U.S. farm produce," but gave no details.
The move follows President Donald Trump's decision Wednesday to postpone a planned Oct. 1 tariff hike on Chinese imports to Oct. 15.
Hopes are growing that the two sides might defuse the prolonged dispute that is threatening global economic growth. But there has been no sign of progress on the main issues in their sprawling conflict over trade and technology.
Beijing's decision to restore access to low-cost U.S. soybeans also would help Chinese pig farmers who use soy as animal feed. They are reeling from an epidemic of African swine fever that has caused pork prices to soar.
Phone calls to the commerce and finance ministries weren't answered on Friday, a national holiday in China.
"China has a huge market, and the prospects for importing high-quality U.S. farm produce are broad," Xinhua said. "China hopes the United States will be true to its word, make progress on its commitments and create favorable conditions for bilateral agricultural cooperation."
Beijing imposed 25% tariffs on American farm goods last year in response to Trump's tariff hikes on Chinese goods. Importers were ordered to stop buying soybeans, the biggest U.S. export to China.
China targeted farm goods, hurting rural areas that supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
Secretary Steven Mnuchin called Wednesday's tariff delay by Trump a "goodwill gesture to the Chinese."
The Commerce Ministry said Thursday importers were asking American suppliers for prices of soybeans and pork. It gave no indication whether they planned to place orders.
Washington wants Beijing to roll back plans for state-led development of leaders in robotics and other technologies. The United States, Europe and other trading partners argue those violate China's free-trade commitments.
Some American officials worry they will erode U.S. industrial leadership.
Negotiations broke down in May over how to enforce any deal. Beijing says Trump's tariff hikes must be lifted as soon as an agreement takes effect. Washington wants to keep some in place to ensure Chinese compliance.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed in June to resume talks but the last round in Shanghai in July produced no progress.
Chinese negotiators are due to fly to Washington in early October to meet with Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, according to the treasury secretary. He said mid-level U.S. and Chinese officials were due to meet next week or the following week to prepare.
By delaying his tariff hike, Trump allowed for the possibility the talks might make enough progress to avert the increase indefinitely. However, economists say a final agreement is unlikely this year.
Tariff hikes by both sides on billions of dollars of goods have disrupted business for farms and factories in both countries, weighing on global economic growth.
China's announcement Friday also fine-tunes trade penalties to reduce damage to its own economy at a time of slowing growth.
Loss of access to American soybeans pushed up costs for Chinese pig farmers after African swine fever caused the loss of more than 1 million pigs and disrupted supplies of China's staple meat, causing prices to soar.
Authorities have told soybean importers to find new sources but the United States is the biggest and lowest-cost exporter. Buyers are looking to Brazil and Argentina but their output cannot fill the whole gap and their prices are higher.
On Wednesday, Beijing announced exemptions from punitive duties for 16 categories of American products.
The Chinese exemptions apply to raw materials needed by farmers and factories and some medicines.
The Commerce Ministry said Thursday that exemptions were granted if no alternative suppliers could be found or the increase would hurt Chinese industry or the economy.
DETROIT (AP) — The Oakland Athletics no longer have to wonder where they'll play the next few seasons. That won't make the long goodbye any easier.
The A's reacted to the announcement that this will be their last year in Oakland with a mixture of sadness and relief.
“At least as a player, you know where you’re headed,” outfielder Seth Brown said Friday before a game against the Tigers in Detroit. “There’s obviously a lot of moving parts, a lot of stuff we’re not privy to, so it’s just been kind of a waiting game on our end. Where are we going to go? Where are we going to be? So I think just having that knowledge -- at least we know where we’re going to be playing next year.”
Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, and Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher announced Thursday that the A’s will temporarily relocate to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park for at least three seasons. The A's are moving to Las Vegas after a new ballpark is constructed.
The River Cats, who are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, will continue to play at the same facility.
Fisher was unable to reach an agreement with Oakland city officials on extending the lease at Oakland Coliseum, which expires at the end of this season. The A's have played in the city since 1968.
“There's direction now, which we've talked a lot about,” Oakland A's manager Mark Kotsay said. “We've got time to kind of reflect on what this really means from an organizational standpoint, the history that we've had in Oakland, with this being now the final season. There's a lot of emotion that goes behind this.”
It will not only cause some upheaval for the players and staff but also members of the organization that work behind the scenes.
“At the end of the day, we know where we're going to be for the next three seasons after the finish this year and that in itself gives a little bit of stability,” Kotsay said. “At the same time, in the present, it's challenging in certain ways to think about the finality of this organization in Oakland.”
Sacramento will be a much smaller environment to house a major league team. Ranadivé said the River Cats venue currently seats 16,000 when counting the stands, the lawn behind center field and standing room only.
First baseman Ryan Noda is concerned with the facilities. He's hopeful that significant upgrades will be made, much like the Toronto Blue Jays did at Buffalo's Triple-A facility. The Blue Jays played at Buffalo's Sahlen Field in 2020 in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New walls, new dugouts, new locker rooms — everything they needed to become a big league stadium,” said Noda, who played some games in Sacramento as a minor leaguer. “As long as we can do something like that, then it'll be all right. But it's definitely going to be different than playing in stadiums that hold 40,000 people.”
Kotsay is confident the upgrades will occur.
“I know it will be of major league baseball quality,” he said. “It's has to be of major league baseball quality. I know the Players Association will make sure that takes place, as they did in Buffalo.”
For the rest of this season, the A's will have to deal with small home crowds and disappointed fans.
“We’re sad for the fans, the diehard fans, who always come to our games, always support us, always support the boys wearing the jersey,” Noda said.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, center, shakes hands John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics, before the start of a news conference where Fisher announced his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4 2024.The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
John Fisher, owner of the Oakland Athletics baseball team, announces that his team will leave Oakland after this season and play temporarily at a minor league park, during a news conference in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The A's announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Sutter Health Park, home of the Triple A team Sacramento River Cats, is shown in West Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 4, 2024. The Oakland Athletics announced the decision to play at the home of the Sacramento River Cats from 2025-27 with an option for 2028 on Thursday after being unable to reach an agreement to extend their lease in Oakland during that time. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the eighth inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
