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Updated: January 24, 2020
Delegation demands China's compliance on lobsters
Maine's congressional delegation is pressing the Trump administration to hold China accountable for its commitment to purchase lobster in the recently announced U.S.-China trade deal.
U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Jared Golden, D-2nd District, expressed their concerns in a one-page letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer dated Jan. 23.
"We were pleased that the President’s January 15 Economic and Trade Agreement included seafood purchases by China, and appreciate your efforts to explicitly list lobster as a product in that category, " they wrote.
"As you and your team have come to recognize through our correspondence over the last two years, the Maine lobster industry is absolutely integral to the economy of our state. To promote Chinese accountability and to aid in the enforcement of this provision, we write to urge you to make public additional details on China’s lobster purchase commitment, including the specific dollar value of China’s commitment."
Noting China's history of not upholding trade agreements, they argue that the United States "must hold China accountable" to purchase commitments it made under the recent agreement.
"Knowing the exact dollar value of lobster that China has agreed to purchase will enable independent verification as to whether China either has met or yet again shirked its trade commitments to the United States."
While Collins had initially welcomed the provision as a boon for Maine's lobster industry, King last week expressed concerns about the deal's language did not appear do specify a minimum purchase amount but said he would hold off on final judgment until the impact on Maine people is clear.
On Thursday, he reiterated those concerns via email to Mainebiz.
"China pledged $12 billion for Year One for U.S. agriculture, a category of which includes seafood and a footnote on that specifies that it includes lobster – so we’re left not knowing if it’s one hundred dollars or a million dollars," he said.
"This letter is important for two reasons that provide some clarity: (A) did they make a hard commitment, and if so, what is it? (B) once we have that information, we’ll be able to track whether they are meeting that number."
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