, Columnist
Take China’s U.S. Farm Threats Seriously, Not Literally
Curbing imports has been a tried-and-tested way of turning the diplomatic screws. But all is not lost for American producers.
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If you’re haggling over the price of goods at a market, there often comes a point when the buyer threatens to walk away. It’s up to the seller to decide whether or not that’s a bluff.
That’s the right way to consider the news that Chinese state-owned agricultural companies have been ordered to pause purchases of U.S. farm goods, including soybeans. The halt has been ordered while Beijing weighs escalating tensions over Hong Kong, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News Monday.