The China connection: do permanent normal trade relations offer real promise, or mostly hype?

摘要

At least for sheer economic optimism, the agricultural community's push for congressional approval of "permanent normal trade relations" with China this year was reminiscent of the California Gold Rush. Indeed, some could only grin (or grimace) earlier this year when USDA officials projected that World Trade Organization (WTO) membership for China will likely increase U.S. farm exports to China by dollar 2 billion in five years. Turns out that the "new" dollar 2 billion in exports would bring us back up to the nearly dollar 3 billion in ag exports to China back in 1995.