NPC urges action against China’s growing exports of frozen fries

The National Potato Council (NPC) filed formal comments with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on May 13, urging action against China’s growing excess production capacity in frozen fries. 

The letter was issued during President Donald Trump’s official state visit to China to meet with President Xi Jinping. Following the meeting, USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer said the U.S. expects China to commit to purchasing “double-digit billions” worth of U.S. agricultural products, although neither side has made official announcements.

The submission responds to USTR’s Section 301 investigation into Chinese industrial policies that leverage state support and subsidized financing to scale exports rapidly. NPC highlighted that China’s exports of frozen fries increased by more than 2,100% in value and more than 3,000% by volume over the last seven years. 

“Chinese frozen fry production is compressing returns for U.S. fry manufacturers and distorting demand in Asian markets that have traditionally been supplied by the United States,” NPC wrote in the letter (pdf). 

Data included in the submission shows a dramatic flood of Chinese exports into priority U.S. markets between 2019 and 2025, including: 

• Japan: Increased from $5.4 million to over $66 million (1,119% increase).
• Philippines: Increased from less than $2 million to over $83 million (5,130% increase). 
• Vietnam: Increased by a staggering 42,556%.

To protect the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. industry, NPC requested that USTR:

• Raise the U.S. tariff on Chinese frozen fries from 43% to 100% to prevent these products from flooding the domestic market.
• Work with other trading partners to develop a collective strategy to address global market distortions caused by Chinese overcapacity.