China eases some tariffs with US

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping emerged from last week’s Beijing summit with a narrower trade package than a full reset, but one that included tariff relief on some goods, new farm-purchase commitments and aviation agreements. China’s commerce ministry said on May 16 that the two sides agreed to expand agricultural trade through tariff reductions and to address non-tariff barriers and market-access issues. The White House followed on May 17 with a fact sheet that put numbers on the package, including annual Chinese purchases of at least $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products through 2028. (whitehouse.gov) The announcements gave each side different headline items. (usnews.com) Beijing emphasized reciprocal tariff reductions, beef and poultry access, and broader economic consultations. Washington highlighted soybean commitments already made in late 2025, additional farm purchases, access to rare earths and aircraft-related deals. Neither side described the package as a comprehensive settlement of the broader U.S.-China trade conflict. ### Which tariffs are actually being eased? China’s commerce ministry said the two countries agreed to reduce tariffs on “products of concern to each side on an equivalent scale,” according to reports citing the ministry’s statement. Reuters reported on May 16 that Beijing said the sides would use tariff reductions to expand agricultural trade and tackle market-access issues. (usnews.com) The public statements did not provide a full product-by-product tariff schedule. The White House statement was more specific about outcomes than tariff lines. Its May 17 fact sheet framed the package as part of a broader set of trade understandings reached after Trump’s meetings in Beijing, but it did not publish a full annex of revised tariff rates in the material available publicly. (upi.com) ### What did China promise to buy from U.S. farmers? The White House said China will purchase at least $17 billion per year of U.S. agricultural products in 2026, on a prorated basis, and in 2027 and 2028. That commitment comes on top of soybean purchase pledges China made in October 2025, according to the White House. Politico also reported the White House’s figure of at least $17 billion annually. (usnews.com) Beef and poultry were central to Beijing’s readout. China said it would actively promote resolution of U.S. concerns over beef registrations and poultry exports, while seeking U.S. easing or removal of import restrictions affecting Chinese dairy and aquatic products, according to reports citing the commerce ministry. (whitehouse.gov) ### Why are soybeans and rare earths both in the U.S. message? Soybeans remained a political and commercial focus because China is a major buyer of U.S. farm goods and the White House tied the new package to earlier soybean commitments running through 2028. The administration presented the farm purchases as a concrete deliverable for U.S. producers after the Beijing summit. (whitehouse.gov) Rare earths appeared in the U.S. account because the White House said the summit package included access tied to those materials, while CNBC reported that China’s public readout did not mention them. That gap underscored how Washington and Beijing chose different elements to showcase after the same talks. (upi.com) ### What was agreed on aircraft and aviation? Aircraft trade was part of the summit package described in multiple reports after Trump’s trip to Beijing. CNBC reported that U.S. and Chinese announcements after the summit included aircraft-related deals alongside agriculture and tariff easing. Other contemporaneous reports on the summit also cited aviation as one of the areas discussed by Trump and Xi. (whitehouse.gov) The public material available on May 18 did not set out a full aircraft order book in the same level of detail as the agriculture commitments. The White House fact sheet focused more heavily on farm purchases and market access than on model-by-model aviation terms. (cnbc.com) ### What happens next in the negotiations? May 16 statements from Beijing indicated the two governments would keep working through bilateral trade channels on tariff reductions, non-tariff barriers and market access. China’s commerce ministry said the sides had achieved positive outcomes in economic and trade consultations and would continue discussions on unresolved issues. (cnbc.com) The next test will be implementation. The White House tied the farm commitments to 2026 through 2028, while China linked the package to follow-up work on beef listings, poultry exports and reciprocal tariff changes. Those are the benchmarks traders, exporters and officials will be watching in the months after the Beijing summit. (whitehouse.gov) (usnews.com)