China, the world’s biggest pork producer, probably didn’t think its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. pork would come back to haunt it. But the decision to buy pork from other countries instead is now looking every bit like a disaster, as several Chinese cities seek to cope with a pork-disease outbreak that may have its origins in Russia.
China has imported fewer U.S. agricultural goods as a result of the tariffs. To make up for the loss of U.S. imports, China has turned to other countries for procurement. For example, China has recently started buying more soybeans from South America.
