Trump narrows Beijing summit agenda to Boeing deals, soybeans

Trade is the point here — but only the easiest parts of trade. Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, May 13, for two days of talks with Xi Jinping that look much smaller than the headline “U.S.-China summit” suggests. The White House wants visible wins fast: farm purchases, beef access, and a Boeing order. What it does not look ready to get is a real settlement of the harder fight over tariffs, technology controls, rare earths, and enforcement. ### Why is the agenda so narrow? Because Trump’s old leverage got weaker. In February, the Supreme Court ruled that the administration could not use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping tariffs the way it had been doing, and a fresh Court of International Trade ruling on May 7 knocked down another tariff lane. That did not end the trade fight, but it made the “I’ll threaten huge tariffs and force concessions” playbook much less clean. (apnews.com) ### So what is Trump actually asking for? The ask is basically a shopping list. U.S. negotiators want China to buy more American farm goods and energy, restore access for U.S. beef plants, and place a headline Boeing order. One proposal in circulation would have China commit to buying 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans in each of the next three years. Another centers on a Boeing package that industry reporting has linked to roughly 500 737 MAX jets, plus some wide-body aircraft. (winston.com) ### Why soybeans and planes? Because they are politically legible. Soybeans matter in the U.S. farm belt and give Trump something easy to point to. Boeing matters because aircraft orders come with giant numbers, factory jobs, and a simple visual story — even if deliveries take years. These are the kinds of deals both governments can package as proof that the meeting produced something real without touching the most combustible disputes. (usnews.com) ### Is China eager to do the soybean part? Only up to a point. Market watchers do expect some kind of farm deal, but not a dramatic surge beyond what was already sketched out last October when both sides paused a bruising trade war. China’s soybean demand is not unlimited, and buyers there have other supply options. So even if Beijing agrees to a new pledge, the practical upside may be more about signaling than a major change in actual trade flows. (usnews.com) ### What about beef? This is one of the more concrete pain points. More than 400 U.S. beef plants have lost export eligibility in China over the past year as older registrations expired, which hit a large share of previously approved facilities. Reopening that channel would be a real commercial win, even if it is much smaller than a grand bargain. (aol.com) ### What is not getting solved? The hard stuff. Rare-earth exports, tech restrictions, Taiwan tensions, and the broader security clash are still sitting there. Analysts going into the summit were blunt: this looks more like damage control than a reset, with China entering from a stronger position than Washington expected a few months ago. (money.usnews.com) ### Why does the timing matter? Trump is arriving while war and inflation are weighing on his presidency, which raises the pressure to come home with something he can sell. That is why the summit feels transactional. Big structural fights take time and trust. A soybean number and a Boeing order fit on a podium card. (rferl.org) ### Bottom line? This meeting is not about fixing U.S.-China relations. It is about seeing whether both sides can stage a few expensive, visible deals while leaving the real conflict in place. If Trump gets planes and farm purchases, he gets a headline. If not, the trip will underline how much leverage he lost after the tariff rulings. (usnews.com)