Beijing launched anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations into imports of US chicken products yesterday in a snub to conciliatory actions from US lawmakers, who plan to lift a ban on imports of Chinese poultry products.
On Friday the Obama administration lauded a decision to lift import restrictions and replace them with stricter inspections of Chinese supply chains, after the main opponents of Chinese poultry imports in Congress withdrew support for a blanket ban.
That decision did not stop China's ministry of commerce from launching investigations into US chicken imports two days later in a move the US poultry industry has warned could seriously harm trade with its biggest export market.