China Erred in Putting Tariffs on Soybeans, Says Former Official
- Trade negotiators shouldn’t be thinking politics, just trade
- Long Yongtu led negotiations when China joined the WTO
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China made a mistake in putting tariffs on soybeans right at the start of the dispute with the U.S., and it needs to focus on the current problems, not try and get involved in politics, according to Long Yongtu, a former official who negotiated the nation’s entry into the World Trade Organisation.
When the U.S. imposed tariffs earlier this year, "I said that China should only retaliate against U.S. agricultural exports as a last resort," Long said on Sunday at a Caixin forum in Beijing. "Based on my experience of Sino-U.S trade, I said at the time that agricultural products are very sensitive, and soybeans are very sensitive too. We should have avoided targeting soybeans in our original response."