White House: China agrees to buy $17B in U.S. farm goods after Trump-Xi summit

President Donald Trump’s White House said on May 17 that China agreed to buy at least $17 billion a year of U.S. agricultural products in 2026, 2027 and 2028 after Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. The White House said the purchases would come in addition to soybean commitments China made in October 2025, and it paired the farm announcement with claims of progress on rare earths, beef access and Boeing aircraft. (whitehouse.gov) China’s public readout was narrower. Beijing said the two sides agreed to expand agricultural trade, pursue reciprocal tariff reductions on some goods and work through new trade and investment channels, but it did not publicly match the White House’s dollar figure or repeat the U.S. language on rare earths. (whitehouse.gov) The gap matters because this is one of the first concrete numbers either side has attached to the summit. U.S. agricultural exports to China fell to $8.4 billion in 2025, down 65.7% from a year earlier, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data cited by USDA’s Economic Research Service and Reuters. ### What exactly did the White House say China agreed to buy? The White House fact sheet said China will purchase at least $17 billion per year of U.S. agricultural products in 2026, 2027 and 2028, with 2026 prorated. (whitehouse.gov) It said that amount is separate from soybean commitments made in October 2025. CNBC reported that after a Trump-Xi meeting in South Korea last fall, the United States said China had agreed to buy at least 25 million metric tons of American soybeans in each of the following three years. (cnbc.com) The new White House statement did not specify how much of the fresh commitment would be soybeans versus beef, poultry, wheat, corn, cotton or other products. ### Did Beijing confirm the same terms? (www-tx.ers.usda.gov) China’s commerce ministry said on May 16 that the two countries agreed to expand agricultural trade through tariff reductions and to tackle non-tariff barriers and market-access issues. It called the arrangements “preliminary” and said they would be finalized as soon as possible. The Chinese statement did not specify a dollar value for farm purchases, did not name soybeans in the new package and did not mention the rare-earth commitments highlighted by Washington. (whitehouse.gov) CNBC said both sides emphasized different issues, with some specifics appearing in only one government’s readout. ### Which farm products appear to be included? The White House said China restored market access for U.S. beef by renewing expired listings for more than 400 U.S. beef facilities and adding new listings. (cnbc.com) It also said China would work with U.S. regulators to lift all suspensions of U.S. beef facilities. Reuters reported that Beijing granted five-year registration extensions to 425 U.S. beef plants and approved new five-year registrations for 77 additional U.S. facilities. (usnews.com) China also agreed to address poultry exports from certain U.S. states, while Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on X that China had agreed to resume imports from 17 U.S. states. (cnbc.com) ### Why are tariffs still a live issue if there is a purchase pledge? China’s commerce ministry said both sides aim to promote two-way trade through reciprocal tariff reductions across a range of goods. Reuters reported that Chinese imports of U.S. farm goods still face an additional 10% levy after last year’s tariff exchanges. (whitehouse.gov) Johnny Xiang of Beijing-based AgRadar Consulting told Reuters that tariff reductions on agricultural products would allow commercial Chinese buyers to re-enter the market. Reuters also reported that state crop traders had been the main buyers during the latest period of restricted trade. ### What else came out of the summit alongside the farm pledge? (usnews.com) The White House said Trump and Xi agreed to create a U.S.-China Board of Trade and a U.S.-China Board of Investment, and it said China approved an initial purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft for Chinese airlines. The White House also said China would address U.S. concerns over shortages of rare earths and related equipment. (usnews.com) Xi is due to visit Washington this fall, according to the White House. Before that, the two governments said the new trade and investment boards would be the channels for working through the preliminary summit agreements. (whitehouse.gov) (usnews.com)