US industry groups welcome ease of tension in China-US trade relationship

WASHINGTON - US industry groups have welcomed the US-China consensus on de-escalating bilateral trade tensions and working toward a mutually beneficial trade deal.

During a working dinner held on the sidelines of the 13th summit of the Group of 20 in Argentina, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump agreed that new tariffs will not be imposed, and economic teams of both sides will step up negotiations toward the removal of all additional tariffs and a concrete win-win deal.

Myron Brilliant, vice president for international affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, said in a Sunday statement that the chamber welcomes the announcement that the two presidents "are de-escalating tensions and returning to the negotiating table."

"Setting aside the imposition of tariffs is the right course of action for US workers, job creators, and the economy," Brilliant said, adding that the chamber looks forward to working with both governments to support their efforts.

Appearing on a Bloomberg news program on Monday, Brilliant reiterated that the Trump-Xi consensus is "step in the right direction."

"We should be happy about that, the markets have responded positively, and it does give both sides time to work on the more tricky and complex issues ahead of them," he added.

Brilliant's comments were echoed by US farm and trade groups.

Hailing the outcome as positive news, John Heisdorffer, president of American Soybean Association, said that a possible longer-term agreement between the world's top two economies "will be extremely positive for the soy industry."

Charles Boustany, formerly a congressman representing the US state of Louisiana and now spokesman for the anti-tariff campaign Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, said in a statement on Sunday that the US-China consensus reflected the appeal made by his group to the Trump administration.

"Our campaign will continue to tell their stories as the Administration enters into this important negotiation period," Boustany said.

Angela Hofmann, executive director of Illinois-based advocacy group Farmers for Free Trade, said Sunday that the de-escalation in US-China trade tensions "is welcome news for farmers".

"In the months ahead, Farmers for Free Trade will continue traveling across the country to hear from farmers and to amplify their voices in Washington, D.C.," Hofmann said in a statement released from the Illinois Farm Bureau Convention, where she addressed farmers and ranchers.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Matthew Shay, president and CEO of US National Retail Federation, referred to the Trump-Xi meeting outcome as "an encouraging sign".

"It is clear the (Trump) administration has heard the voices of those negatively impacted by existing tariffs," the statement read, adding that the Federation hoped for "a positive resolution that removes tariffs altogether and improves US-China trade relations".

Also on Sunday, the American Apparel and Footwear Association said the resumption of talks between Washington and Beijing is encouraging for the clothing industry, which is "dependent on complex global supply chains for our marketplaces around the world".

The association said in a statement issued by its President and CEO Rick Helfenbein that they expect "the swift removal of the punitive tariffs already imposed by the Administration".

"We will continue to emphasize to the Administration the need to stop taxing American consumers to the detriment of our retail economy. In that light, we will be watching the negotiations closely," read the statement.

The Consumer Technology Association, based in Arlington in the US state of Virginia, said in a Saturday statement that it was "encouraged to see Presidents Trump and Xi working together to reduce trade barriers between the US and China".

"We look forward to continued progress between the US and China -- eliminating the current tariffs and not adding new trade taxes to even more products -- so we can keep our economy strong and our job creation growing," added the statement, which was attributed to the association's President and CEO Gary Shapiro.

Boosted by the detente in US-China trade relationship, US stocks closed higher Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 287.97 points to 25,826.43, the S&P 500 increased 30.20 points to 2,790.37, and the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 110.98 points to 7,441.51.