Shanghai — A key objective of US President Donald Trump’s trade war is to pressure Beijing to "buy American", but China may simply take its business elsewhere when it comes to millions of dollars in US meat imports. Beijing’s retaliatory tariffs on US pork and beef are making them prohibitively expensive and Chinese importers are turning to other sources, a trend that is being expected in other sectors as well. "When the US prices go so expensive after the duties … we will source from other origins," said Zhang Lihui, Shanghai manager for global meat company PMI Foods. Australian beef "Like for beef, we will buy more from Australia, we will buy more from South America, and maybe a little bit more from Canada," Zhang said. PMI Foods had already ceased importing cuts of US pork meat into China after Beijing’s tariffs — imposed in July in response to Trump’s initial duties on Chinese goods — had driven prices up. Shifting trade patterns caused by the tariff battle would "definitely" be...
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