美国东部时间5月5日，美国总统特朗普发推文宣称将在5月10日把2000亿美元中国输美产品加征的关税从10%升至25%，并将很快对剩余3250亿美元中国输美商品同样加征25%的关税。
美国大豆协会（American Soybean Association）5月7日发布公告，敦促美国行政当局取消对中国产品加征关税的计划，并迅速与中国达成协议。美国大豆协会强调了中美大豆贸易的重要性，并表示随着谈判的拖延和曲折，大豆农民在经济和精神上受到的重创不容忽视，农民们的耐心也即将耗尽。
以下是公告的中英文全文：
Trade War Only Getting Worse for Soy Farmers Fearful for their Future
In what could easily be described as “worst case” for America’s soybean growers, the Trump Administration has confirmed what the industry has feared for months: Heavier tariffs on Chinese goods are planned for Friday, May 10.
“This is a predicament for soy growers,” said Davie Stephens, a grower from Clinton, KY., and president of the American Soybean Association (ASA). “We understand that Mr. Trump and his Administration have broad goals they want to achieve for our country, but farmers are in a desperate situation. We need a positive resolution of this ongoing tariff dispute, not further escalation of tensions.”
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Monday he plans to move forward with President Trump’s threat on Sunday to increase the tariff rate from 10 to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, citing China’s back-pedaling on prior commitments during talks in Beijing last week.
China’s retaliation against U.S. soy farmers has chilled exports to the U.S.’s most important foreign customer. China has purchased only 5 million metric tons (MMT) of its 20 MMT ‘good faith’ promise, and the original March 1 deadline for concluding negotiations has come and gone. The market has fluctuated with each development during the negotiations, including Trump’s social media posts over the weekend.
“After so many threats and missed deadlines for concluding negotiations, this ongoing uncertainty is unacceptable to U.S. farmers,” Stephens continued. “With depressed prices and unsold stocks forecast to double before the 2019 harvest begins in September, we need the China market reopened to U.S. soybean exports within weeks, not months or longer.”
ASA urges the Administration tohold off on additional tariffs and rapidly conclude negotiations with China, including lifting the existing Section 301 tariffs in exchange for China removing its retaliatory 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans.
Stephens concluded, “Soybean farmers have demonstrated great patience as the Administration has sought to negotiate a better trading relationship with China. However, our patience is wearing thin as prices remain low and the tariff dispute drags on. The financial and emotional toll on U.S. soybean farmers cannot be ignored.”
Growers have been reeling for almost a year now, after the President first imposed a 25 percent duty on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods in July 2018, and later, a 10 percent duty on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese products, which resulted in the retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. That 10 percent duty was scheduled to jump to 25 percent the end of last year, but President Trump delayed the hike after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in December, with the countries agreeing to hold off for 90 days, and then indefinitely during the ongoing negotiations until this week.
贸易战只会让大豆农民处境更加糟糕，前景堪忧
对美国大豆农民“最坏的情况”，莫过于特朗普政府确认了令大豆产业恐惧数月的举措：计划自5月10日起，对中国商品提高关税。
美国大豆协会会长、肯塔基州大豆种植者史达威（Davie Stephens）说：“大豆农民身陷绝境。我们理解，特朗普先生及其行政当局想为我国实现更广阔的目标，但是农民们处境危急。针对现在的贸易纠纷，我们需要的是一个积极的解决方案，而不是让紧张局势升级。”
美国贸易代表罗伯特莱特希泽于本周一称：他计划执行特朗普总统所做出的指示，即把价值2,000亿美元中国商品的关税从10%提升至25%。
作为美国最重要的海外客户，中方对美国大豆农民采取的反制措施，使美国的出口贸易额大幅下跌。中方采购2,000万吨美国大豆的“善意”承诺，目前只执行了其中的500万吨；此前商定的3月1日的谈判截至日期已经过去。市场随着谈判的每一次曲折而跌宕起伏，包括特朗普上周末在社交媒体发的帖子。
史达威说：“一次次的威胁，一次次的谈判结束期限的延后，这种持续的市场不确定性，是美国农民无法接受的。在价格低迷以及2019年9月收获期之前库存翻番预期的情形下，我们需要中国市场对美国大豆的出口在几周内重新开放，而不是几个月甚至更久之后。”
美国大豆协会敦促行政当局，停止加收关税并迅速完成与中方的谈判，包括取消已在征收的301关税，以换取中国取消对美国大豆征收的25%关税。
史达威说：“大豆农民表现出了极大的耐心，期待行政当局通过谈判跟中方建立更好的贸易关系。但是，随着价格持续走低、关税纷争悬而未决，我们的耐心即将耗尽。美国大豆农民在经济上、精神上受到的重创，不容忽视。”
近一年来，大豆种植者举步维艰。美国总统在2018年7月份向价值500亿美元的中国商品征收25%关税，随后又向另外2,000亿美元的中国商品征收10%关税，遭到中方对美国商品的关税反制。这10%的关税本要在去年底之后提高到25%，但在与中国国家主席习近平于12月进行会晤之后，特朗普总统暂缓增加关税。双方同意在90天之内进行磋商，随后在进行贸易谈判期间，增加关税的计划又无限期地延后，一直延到本周。
