China hopes the United States can enable more trade amid the uncertainty of the “Phase 1” agreement

Chinese and American flags fluttering outside the building of a US company in Beijing, China January 21, 2021. REUTERS / Tingshu Wang / File Photo / File Photo

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Reuters) – China said Thursday that it hopes the United States can create conditions for expanding trade cooperation after Chinese purchases of U.S. goods in the past two years did not meet the targets of a Trump-era trade deal.

China has lagged behind in its promises in a “Phase 1” trade pact to increase US commodity purchases by $ 200 billion during 2020 and 2021 compared to 2017 levels, reaching only about 60% of the target by November 2021, according to data collected by the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

“Since the entry into force of the agreement, China has worked hard to overcome several negative factors caused by the impact of a pandemic, the global recession and supply chain disruptions and the pressure for the implementation of the agreement from both sides,” Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shu said. Jueting told an online news conference.

“We hope the United States could create a favorable atmosphere and conditions for both sides to expand trade cooperation,” Shu said, adding that the countries’ trade teams maintain communication.

The United States will continue to pressure China on the need for full enforcement of the trade agreement before discussing extensions, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Tuesday.

Reporting by Xu Jing, Stella Qiu and Gabriel Crossley; Editing Clarence Fernandez

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