China agrees billions in purchases

President Donald Trump’s White House said on May 18 that China agreed to buy at least $17 billion a year in U.S. agricultural products through 2028, adding one of the clearest numerical commitments to emerge from Trump’s trip to Beijing last week. China’s commerce ministry separately said Beijing and Washington had reached a preliminary agreement to lower some tariffs and confirmed agricultural and aircraft deals from the summit. The two governments described the outcomes in different terms, with Washington emphasizing farm sales, soybeans and supply-chain access while Beijing pointed to tariff relief and new bilateral councils. The announcements followed Trump’s meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 and May 15. ### How much did the United States say China will buy? The White House said China will purchase at least $17 billion per year of U.S. agricultural products in 2026, 2027 and 2028, with 2026 prorated. The administration said the commitment is in addition to soybean purchase pledges made in October 2025, when Trump and Xi met in South Korea. (whitehouse.gov) Politico reported that the White House fact sheet described the farm purchases as one of the few concrete deliverables from the Beijing summit. CNBC said the U.S. readout also highlighted renewed Chinese market access for U.S. beef and poultry. ### What did Beijing say it agreed to on tariffs? (whitehouse.gov) China’s commerce ministry said on May 17 that the two sides had struck a preliminary agreement to reduce some tariffs. The ministry said the countries agreed to promote two-way trade through arrangements including mutual tariff reductions on a range of products. (politico.com) Trump had said on May 15 that tariffs were not discussed in his meetings with Xi, according to Politico Europe’s account of the summit aftermath. Beijing’s statement also said the two sides agreed to establish a trade council and an investment council. ### Which products did each side single out? (politico.eu) Soybeans featured prominently in the U.S. account. CNBC said the White House tied the new agricultural purchases to an earlier Chinese commitment to buy at least 25 million metric tons of American soybeans in each of the following three years after the October 2025 Trump-Xi meeting. Al Jazeera, citing the White House, said the broader package came in addition to a soybean commitment totaling at least 87 million metric tonnes. (politico.eu) Beef and poultry were also named in the White House fact sheet. The administration said China renewed expired registrations for more than 400 U.S. beef facilities and would work with U.S. regulators to lift suspensions affecting other beef plants. (cnbc.com) Aircraft appeared in Beijing’s version of events. China’s commerce ministry said agricultural and aircraft deals were confirmed during the summit, according to Politico Europe. ### Where do rare earths and supply chains fit in? The White House framed part of the summit as a supply-chain win. The preliminary reports cited by CNBC and Politico said Washington emphasized gains tied to critical inputs and the restoration of trade channels alongside the farm package. (whitehouse.gov) CNBC’s earlier coverage of the trip said trade, oil and strategic supply issues had dominated the two-day visit. (politico.eu) The same outlet reported that Trump had described the talks as producing “fantastic trade deals,” though the official readouts released afterward contained the more specific details on agriculture and market access. (cnbc.com) ### Why did the two governments describe the outcome differently? Washington’s May 18 fact sheet focused on dollar figures, farm exports and restored access for U.S. producers. Beijing’s May 17 statement focused on tariff reductions, two-way trade and new institutional mechanisms. (cnbc.com) Politico reported before the White House released its fact sheet that Trump had returned from Beijing with hints of deals but little public detail on several major disputes. The fuller statements issued over the weekend added numbers, sectors and the outline of follow-up bodies, but neither side published a full legal text of a new trade agreement in the material reviewed. (whitehouse.gov) China’s commerce ministry said the next formal step will include setting up a trade council and an investment council with the United States. The White House said the agricultural purchase commitments run through 2028, giving both governments a timetable against which future implementation can be measured. (politico.eu) (politico.com)