In their report, “China's Import Potential for Beef, Corn, Pork, and Wheat,” Economic Research Service analysts correctly note that the Middle Kingdom maintains large technical barriers to U.S. agricultural exports. They note the large spread in prices between China and the U.S. on basic commodities (see graph below). Indeed, barriers are why U.S. agricultural exports to China are up 6 percent this fiscal year but China’s food exports to the U.S. are up 24 percent for the same period. It is also one of the reasons the U.S. is projected to run an overall agricultural trade deficit in 2023. However, none of this information is going to change reality because other countries prize self-sufficiency, and none more than China...