China virus raises questions about its trade deal with US

China’s promises in its phase-one trade deal to increase purchases from the U.S.—which experts already were calling “unrealistic”—will be even tougher to fulfill now that a new virus is hammering demand and interfering with supply chains.

In the first year of the deal, which takes effect in mid-February, China committed to buy an extra $76.7 billion worth of American goods beyond what it purchased in 2017, and an additional $123.3 billion in the second year.

As the novel coronavirus spreads, attention is focusing on Article 7.6 of the agreement, which states the U.S. and China will consult “in the event that a natural disaster or other unforeseeable event” delays either nation from complying with the agreement.

“It obviously is going to have some ramifications economy-wide, which we hope will not inhibit the purchase goal that we have for this year,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Wednesday. “We’ll have to look ahead and see. But the honest answer is we just don’t know yet. But we’re hoping for a very quick conclusion.”

As the economic dislocation from coronavirus becomes clearer, economists are ratcheting up their estimates of the blow to economic growth. Nomura International Ltd. says the drag could exceed that seen during the SARS outbreak of 2003.

So far, the world’s two biggest economies seem more focused on measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

“The U.S. and China are in close coordination on the coronavirus and protecting the public health of both countries,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said. “The president appreciates President Xi’s cooperation.”