WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, released the following statement after the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced it has found China’s price supports for grains, including wheat, are trade distorting and in violation of WTO rules.
“I am pleased the U.S. Trade Representative’s efforts to stand up for American producers have been successful. We play by international trade rules and must ensure other nations do too,” Roberts said. “Especially now, our farmers and ranchers need greater access to new and growing markets. This action will allow them to better compete in China.”
In late 2016, Chairman Roberts and other lawmakers joined the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative to launch a trade enforcement action against China for its excessive price supports.
The WTO’s dispute settlement panel today agreed with the U.S. that these price supports artificially drove up prices, increased Chinese production, and decreased imports from the U.S. and other nations.
Chairman Roberts is an outspoken advocate for fair trade and for improving access to new markets for farmers and ranchers. He is also a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction on trade.
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