US soybean growers denounce additional tariffs on Chinese goods

CHICAGO - The American Soybean Association (ASA) has expressed "extreme disappointment" in the US threat to impose further tariffs on Chinese goods, which they believe will "needlessly hurt soybean growers and rural communities" in America.

In a statement released on Thursday, the ASA said Washington's new announcement, targeting on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, will worsen the trade tensions between the United States and China.

"The announcement of additional tariffs on China is a move in the opposite direction," said John Heisdorffer, who is the ASA president and a soybean farmer in the state of Iowa.

Heisdorffer said American soybean growers have worked for decades to pursue trade opportunities in the Chinese market and have achieved success.

US soybean growers from across 30 states are urging Washington to rescind these tariffs and "bring a sense of stability and certainty" back to farmers who depend on trade.

The ASA once again called on the administration to find a non-tariff solution to address its trade issue with China, such as utilizing soy as the largest agricultural export to help reduce US trade deficit with China.

Last week, the US administration imposed a 25-percent additional tariff on 34 billion dollars worth of imports from China, forcing China to retaliate on US imports.

China imported about 33 million tons of soybeans from the United States last year. It takes about 62 percent of US soybean exports.