Farmers, manufacturers welcome 'Phase One', but ask Trump for more

The United States and China agreed to a “Phase One” trade deal Friday that would reduce tariffs on some Chinese goods and could be a boon to American farmers who have been hard hit by the 19-month trade war.

“America’s farmers and ranchers are eager to get back to business globally,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said in a statement. “Progress restoring our ability to be competitive in China is a key component of that and this development is welcome news.”

"For farmers, this could either be the first ray of hope or another empty promise," Brian Kuehl, co-executive director of the free-trade organization Farmers for Free Trade, said in a statement. "Farmers want sustained access to China’s market, not one-time purchases, so it will be critical to see how the retaliatory tariffs that have crippled farm exports are treated in this agreement."