The move will boost U.S. export competitiveness in China.
Effective Dec. 1, 2017, China will unilaterally lower its cheese tariffs from 12% to 8%, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), Arlington, Va. The move will immediately boost U.S. export competitiveness in China and help U.S. suppliers take a larger role in meeting the nation’s booming cheese demand.
“We are very pleased with China’s decision because it will help U.S. cheese exporters and manufacturers chip away the tariff disadvantage with other competitors,” said Tom Vilsack, USDEC’s president and CEO. “We are even more pleased that the process that yielded the decision helped to further cultivate trust and build critical relationships between the U.S. dairy industry and Chinese official institutions, the nation’s dairy industry and customers.”