U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that the deadline for China to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans from American farmers was not the end of December as the White House has said, but the end of the "growing season."
Greer's comment at the hearing came on the heels of a report by NBC News showing that the pace of China's purchase of soybeans in recent weeks, after a months-long boycott of buying, was well short of reaching 12 million metric tons by the end of the year.
China to date has bought only about 3 million metric tons, the trade representative told members of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies subcommittee.
He said there was a "discrepancy" in what the White House has described as the deadline and the actual deadline for the purchases to be completed.
Greer's disclosure came in response to a question by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.
"There remains anxiety about if and when China will fully follow through on those purchase commitments that were made," Fischer said.
She noted that the White House fact sheet on the trade deal said China would purchase 12 million metric tons by the end of the calendar year -- contradicting recent comments from Greer.
"It is for this growing season, so, thank you for highlighting that," Greer said.
'"We've heard from a couple farmers, they wanted to know about that discrepancy, and it is a discrepancy, it's through the growing season," he said.
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