China Agrees to Import Apples From U.S.

PORTLAND, Ore. — U.S. and Chinese negotiators concluded a trade deal Saturday that made American apples available in the world’s most populous country.

The one-year deal for apples from Washington state is the first time China has agreed to import commercial quantities of U.S. fruit, Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy said in a written statement.

“We see this to be the first in a series of steps that would open China up to imports of a wide variety of U.S. fruits and vegetables,” Espy said.

Agreements to import apples, cherries and pears from other Pacific Northwest states could come next year, said Kraig Naasz of the Northwest Horticultural Council. A Chinese delegation also is discussing the import of wheat from Northwest states.

Washington’s 3,700 apple growers could ship up to a million 42-pound boxes of apples to China in 1994, said Jim Thomas of the Washington Apple Commission. He said the first apples should be shipped in late February or March.