In China, ‘The Great American’ burger is now made with Australian beef

In Beijing, Geng Xiaoyun used to serve a specialty dish of salt-baked chicken feet, known as “phoenix talons” in China, imported from the United States at his restaurant. Due to a 30% price increase in March as a result of tariffs, the owner of Kunyuan restaurant had to remove this Chinese delicacy from the menu. Geng expressed his admiration for American chicken feet, highlighting their spongy texture and superior taste compared to Chinese chicken feet. While he now sources chicken feet from Brazil or Russia, he finds them lacking compared to the American ones. Geng keeps a small supply of American chicken feet for himself and hopes to reintroduce them on the menu in the future, believing that the prices will decrease as long as there are no significant changes in global political situations.

The temporary 90-day tariff halt agreed upon by China and the U.S. in Geneva in May is now in jeopardy as both sides accuse each other of violating the terms. The Chinese Commerce Ministry responded to President Donald Trump’s accusation of breaching the agreement, citing recent U.S. export controls on artificial intelligence chips as actions that severely undermine the Geneva pact. As tensions persist, American agricultural products are disappearing from Chinese markets, with other imports gaining ground.

American-grade beef has been a popular choice at Home Plate, a Beijing restaurant known for its American-style barbecue, but they stopped serving American beef last month. Instead, dishes like “The Great American” burger now use beef imported from Australia, which is duty-free under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. However, China retains the right to impose limits on these imports. Liu Li, a beef supplier at the Sanyuanli market, noted that the tariffs have disrupted the supply chain, causing a 50% increase in the price of U.S. beef. Despite finding U.S. beef tastier, Li lamented the trade war’s impact, stating that the high prices are difficult to bear.