FILE PHOTO: U.S. and Chinese flags are seen before Defense Secretary James Mattis welcomes Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Wei Fenghe to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is considering the removal of restrictions on poultry imports from the United States, state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

The report comes after the commerce ministry said the two country have agreed to cancel in phases the tariffs imposed during the months-long trade war.

China has banned all U.S. poultry and eggs since January 2015 due to an avian influenza outbreak, which has been over for years. That caused imports to tank after the United States shipped $390 million worth of poultry and products to China in 2014. The following year, shipments were less than a fifth of that, at $74 million.