US President Donald Trump speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping while leaving after a visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Evan Vucci)

China to buy at least US$17 billion in US agricultural products annually, White House says

The purchase commitment was made during meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

· CNA · Join

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

WASHINGTON: China has committed to purchasing at least US$17 billion of US agricultural products in 2026, 2027 and 2028, the White House said in a fact sheet released on Sunday (May 17).

The commitment was made during meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week.

The US$17 billion figure does not include the soybean purchase commitments China made in October 2025, the White House said.

There has been a marked reduction in US agricultural exports to China after last ​year's rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs sharply curtailed trade, which fell 65.7 per cent year-on-year to US$8.4 billion ​in 2025, according to US Department of Agriculture data.

CNA Games

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less

China has dramatically scaled back its reliance on US farm goods since Trump's first term, sourcing roughly 20 per cent of its soybeans from ​the US in 2024, the year ​before he returned to office, down ⁠from 41 per cent in 2016.

China will work with US regulators to lift suspensions of US beef facilities and resume imports of poultry from US states determined to be free of avian influenza, the White House said.

Confirming earlier statements from the Chinese government, the White House also said on Sunday the world's two largest economies would establish a US-China Board of Trade and the US-China Board of Investment.

The boards will resolve concerns over market access for agricultural products and expand trade "under a reciprocal tariff-reduction framework”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a statement last week.

Source: Reuters/fs

Newsletter

Week in Review

Subscribe to our Chief Editor’s Week in Review

Our chief editor shares analysis and picks of the week's biggest news every Saturday.

Sign up for our newsletters

Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox

Subscribe here

Get the CNA app

Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories

Download here

Get WhatsApp alerts

Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app

Join here