China boosts US farm purchases $17bn

China said it would sharply raise purchases of U.S. agricultural goods after last week’s summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in Beijing, giving both governments one of the few concrete commercial outcomes from the trip. The White House said on May 17 that China will purchase at least $17 billion a year of U.S. agricultural products in 2026, 2027 and 2028, with the 2026 figure prorated. (whitehouse.gov) The commitment covers products including beef and poultry and comes on top of soybean purchase pledges China made in October 2025. The announcement also included new steps on market access for U.S. beef and poultry. ### Where does the $17 billion figure come from? The White House said in a fact sheet dated May 17 that China will buy “at least $17 billion per year” of U.S. agricultural products in 2026, 2027 and 2028, in addition to earlier soybean commitments. (whitehouse.gov) The administration tied the pledge directly to agreements reached during Trump’s visit to China last week. Politico reported that the farm-purchase commitment was one of the few specific deliverables the White House identified after the Trump-Xi summit. The same White House fact sheet also said China agreed to an initial purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft and to create new U.S.-China boards on trade and investment. ### What products are included? (whitehouse.gov) China agreed to restore market access for U.S. beef by renewing expired listings for more than 400 American beef facilities and adding new listings, according to the White House. The administration also said China would work with U.S. regulators to lift remaining suspensions on U.S. beef facilities. Poultry was also included. The White House said China would resume poultry imports from U.S. states that the U.S. (whitehouse.gov) Department of Agriculture has determined are free of avian influenza. BizzBuzz, citing the White House announcement, reported that beef and poultry were among the named categories in the package. ### Why was agriculture at the center of the deal? (politico.com) U.S. agricultural exports to China fell 65.7% in 2025 to $8.4 billion after another round of retaliatory tariffs disrupted trade, according to Reuters reporting that cited U.S. Department of Agriculture data. That drop left farm trade as one of the clearest pressure points in the broader U.S.-China tariff fight. Trump had gone to Beijing seeking relief for American farmers hit by the trade war he launched last year, according to accounts of the summit announcement from AP-derived coverage and Politico. (whitehouse.gov) The White House presented the new buying pledge as part of a package meant to deliver for “American workers, farmers, and industry.” ### Does this mean the trade war is over? (politico.com) China’s commerce ministry said on May 16 that Beijing and Washington had reached preliminary agreements to expand agricultural trade through tariff reductions and to address non-tariff barriers and market-access issues. Reuters reported that the ministry described the arrangements as preliminary and said they would be finalized as soon as possible. Politico reported that Trump said after the summit that tariffs had not been discussed, while China’s commerce ministry said both sides had also agreed to promote two-way trade through tariff reductions on a range of products. (usnews.com) That leaves the farm package as a specific pledge inside a broader trade relationship that still requires more negotiation. (bizzbuzz.news) ### What should readers watch next? Xi is due to visit Washington this fall, according to the White House fact sheet released on May 17. The same document said the two governments had created a U.S.-China Board of Trade and a U.S.-China Board of Investment to manage follow-up economic issues, including bilateral trade in non-sensitive goods and investment matters. (usnews.com) The next test will be whether the promised purchases begin showing up in trade data for 2026 and whether China completes the beef-facility reinstatements and poultry reopening described by the White House. The administration said the 2026 commitment would be prorated, making the first year’s implementation the earliest measurable checkpoint. (whitehouse.gov) (politico.com)