Chamber, Other Trade Groups Ask for Redoubled Effort on China Phase One Agreement

A letter from 41 trade groups -- including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-China Business Council, and others in information technology, apparel, agriculture and pharmaceuticals -- asks both Chinese and American lead negotiators to “redouble efforts to implement all aspects of the Agreement, including purchases of U.S. manufactured goods, energy products, services, and agricultural goods, where implementation seems to be lagging.”

The groups acknowledged the disruption caused by COVID-19 mitigation efforts, but said that more purchases would demonstrate the benefits of the trade agreement, which is the “most direct and achievable path to removal of tariffs -- and to avoid application of new ones -- on both sides, which the US business community strongly supports.” The letter includes a five-page annex on how to accelerate the outcomes of the phase one agreement, and says that as it's implemented, that would pave the way for phase two negotiations and a healthier U.S.-China relationship.