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US-China trade war
BusinessChina Business

Trump’s tariffs on Chinese caviar may stop a quiet takeover of the world’s gourmet kitchens

Imported caviar from China could soon cost Americans more if the US puts new tariffs on industries where mainland Chinese businesses, with the help of the government, have excelled

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A large sturgeon in the breeding pond at Quzhou Xunlong Aquatic Products Sci-Tech Development Co, which sells its caviar under the brand name of Kaluga Queen. Xunlong, the world's largest caviar producer, is based in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. Photo: SCMP/Simon Song.
Chad Bray

In the scorching July sun about a two-hour train ride west of Shanghai, Li Shilei tended to his precious charges.

On a massive man-made lake in Zhejiang province, 30kg sturgeon constantly leapt out of the water as workers removed plastics and other garbage from otherwise pristine waters of one of the world’s largest aquatic farms.

Li manages 40,000 square metres of fishing ponds at Qiandaohu, or the Lake of a Thousand Islands, the hub of a Chinese industry that is quickly and stealthily dominating the world’s gourmet kitchens: caviar.

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As a result, the prized delicacy is now a victim of the escalating trade war between China and the United States.

US President Donald Trump’s administration is considering a proposal to more than double the import tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese products from antiquities to shoe polish to 25 per cent. That goes on top of the US$50 billion of products designated for 25 per cent tariffs earlier this year.
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The levy would add to an existing customs duty of 15 per cent on all Chinese caviar imported into the US.

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