WASHINGTON (AP) – The Obama administration says it has lodged a complaint against China at the World Trade Organization alleging excessive government support for rice, wheat and corn that drives up production.
The administration says China’s support for those products in 2015 exceeded by $100 billion the levels China committed to when joining the WTO.
President Barack Obama says the overproduction resulting from China’s government subsidies is harming American farmers seeking to export these same crops.
The complaint comes as the administration lobbies Congress to approve a trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim countries called the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Obama says China is also negotiating trade deals that would carve up the Asia-Pacific market at the U.S.’s expense. He says it’s important for the United States to set high trade standards through the TPP.