BEIJING — China is open to buying U.S. farm goods, but only on the condition that the two sides reach an agreement on reciprocal tariff cuts, the commerce ministry said on Thursday.
Following a September summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Washington, the two sides proposed a $60 billion package of reciprocal tariff cuts, including roughly $17 billion worth of U.S. farm goods that China imported in 2024, though the plan has yet to be finalised.
"China has consistently been open to expanding purchases of agricultural products from the U.S., but only on the condition that the two sides implement their agreed '$30 billion-for-$30 billion' reciprocal tariff-reduction arrangement," commerce ministry spokesperson Huang Ling said.
The White House said in May that Beijing had agreed to buy $17 billion of U.S. agricultural goods annually from 2026, with this year's target adjusted on a prorated basis. China is on track to meet its soybean purchase target, but bought only $7.2 billion of other U.S. agricultural products, including meat and corn, between January and September, according to a Reuters analysis.
Uncertainty persists over when the clock starts on the $17 billion non-soy purchase deal, as the White House has not said whether the timeline began with its May announcement or will begin only once China's proposed tariff cuts are finalised. Imports of those products were at their lowest level for the period since 2019, at the height of the first U.S.-China trade war.
The two sides have set up an agricultural working group which is expected to meet before the end of the year.
