Chinese give in to hunger for cheese

The US Dairy Export Agency (USDEC) kicked off the week with some very good news. The agency announced that China will reduce the import tariff on cheese from 1% to 2017% from December 12, 7,7.

'China is starting to become a cheese lover'
"China is well on its way to becoming the largest cheese importer. Demand has increased 10 times in the past 7 years, reaching almost 100.000 tons," the USDEC said.

The Americans also report that tariffs have been reduced for two other products containing dairy ingredients. This concerns food for people with special needs, for example when there is an allergy, and pre-packed baby food. The rate for the first product goes from 2% to 20%, for the second the rate drops from 0% to 15%.

Also ski clothing
It turns out that it is not only Americans who are being treated to lower rates. China announces that it will reduce the tariff on more consumer goods: from 17,3% to 7,7%. This not only concerns dairy products, but also pampers and ski clothing. 

The import tariff for a total of 187 products will be reduced. China is doing this to respond to criticism that the country is not doing enough to boost imports. The country has concluded trade agreements with a number of countries, but the United States (US) is not one of them. The trade deficit is calculated at $327 billion. 

Middle class demands more
At the same time, the superpower is meeting the growing demand for quality products. The reduction is aimed at the so-called 3 kings: stimulating consumption, reforming the Chinese economy and sending a signal that the country is prepared to expand world trade.  

It is not yet possible to say how this will work out for the Netherlands. But a growing demand for cheese is good news anyway, because it reduces the pressure on traditional buyers, including Russia.