U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over trade, today issued the following statement after the Trump administration announced that a final agreement has been reached for China to accept U.S. beef imports after a 13-year ban. Today’s announcement follows a May 11, 2017, announcement that China was willing to negotiate reopening its borders to U.S. beef.
“After urging the Trump administration to take quick action on this and other important agricultural trade issues, I’m glad to see that it has been resolved,” said Thune. “While the agreement is long overdue, it will nonetheless come as welcome news to all of South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers who not only help make agriculture our state’s top industry, but help feed the world.”
On April 5, 2017, Thune joined nearly 40 of his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Trump ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States. Thune urged the president to push President Xi Jinping to end the U.S. beef import ban. Thune similarly pressed U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Director of the National Trade Council Peter Navarro to find a solution that would allow U.S. beef into China.