The trade war brewing between the United States and China has thus far not involved seafood products. However, a U.S. senator is asking U.S. President Donald Trump to change that.
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) wrote a letter to the President on Tuesday, 17 April. In it, he singled out Chinese crawfish and shrimp imports as products that need increased tariffs.
Kennedy said the move would help Louisiana’s economy.
“For years, Chinese companies have dumped inferior, sometimes fraudulent, seafood products into the American marketplace, and Louisiana industries have suffered as a result,” Kennedy wrote.
Last month, Trump announced a series of taxes on Chinese imports worth about USD 50 billion (EUR 40.4 billion). Those tariffs, however, focused on intellectual property disputes with the world’s most populous country. Shortly after the U.S. announced its tariffs, Chinese officials announced it would slap tariffs on U.S. agricultural products.
According to data from NOAA Fisheries, China was the sixth-largest importer of shrimp into the United States. China imported more than 46,000 metric tons (MT) in 2017. That represented a more than 32 percent increase from 2016, when it brought more than 34,700 MT of shrimp to American ports.
Shrimp and crawfish are major products for Louisiana fishermen. However, Kennedy said Chinese officials have tough policies in place that make it harder for American products to enter their market.
“If your administration must evaluate additional products subject to subsequent tariffs, I respectfully ask that you give full consideration to the inclusion of Chinese crawfish and shrimp,” Kennedy said. “Louisianans take great pride in their seafood, and this measure would reward hardworking Louisiana shrimpers, crawfish farmers, and consumers.”
Adding tariffs to Chinese shrimp would be the latest step by proponents of American producers to seek a more level playing field for their products. Earlier this year, elected officials from Gulf Coast states successfully inserted language into a federal spending bill that got the clock started on shrimp imports participating in the Seafood Import Monitoring Program.
