China drops U.S. broiler chicken import duties amid growing trade tensions

China’s Commerce Ministry said it has removed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on U.S. white-feathered broiler chickens, ending a years-long dispute between the world’s largest economies amid growing tensions over agricultural trade. The move, effective on Tuesday, comes after a World Trade Organization ruling in January that obliged Beijing to lower the tariffs unless it appealed within 20 days.The tariffs were first imposed in 2010 and were extended for a further five years in 2016.The removal of penalties comes against a backdrop of an escalating trade spat between the two countries, after Washington slapped duties on washing machines and solar panels, triggering a probe by Beijing into U.S. sorghum that was widely seen as retaliation.The dispute has fueled concerns that soybeans might also be caught up in the trade actions.