China Ties US Farm Purchases to Tariff Cuts – and Beijing’s Shopping List Is Falling Short

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Beijing Names Its Price

On Thursday, November 5, China's commerce ministry made its position clear. Spokesperson Huang Ling said China has always been open to buying more US agricultural products, but only if both sides implement a deal to cut tariffs on each other's goods. Beijing described this as a "$30 billion-for-$30 billion" arrangement.

Huang also called on Washington to lower tariffs, reduce non-tariff barriers (rules and inspections that slow down imports) and widen market access. In plain terms, China wants concessions on its own exports before it commits to buying more American crops and meat.

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Where the Numbers Stand

The talks follow a September summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington. Afterwards, the two sides floated a package of reciprocal tariff cuts worth about $60 billion in total. It includes roughly $17 billion in US farm goods that China bought in 2024. The package has not been finalised.

The White House said in May that China had agreed to buy $17 billion of US agricultural goods per year from 2026, with this year's target scaled down proportionally. This is on top of a separate soybean commitment made in October 2025.

The soybean part appears to be on track. According to a Reuters analysis, however, China bought only $7.2 billion in other US farm products, such as meat and corn, between January and September. That is well short of what a $17 billion annual pace would require.

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An Unanswered Question: When Does the Clock Start?

One key detail is still unclear. The White House has not said whether the $17 billion target counts from its May announcement or only begins once China's tariff cuts are finalised. Without that answer, it is hard to judge whether Beijing is falling behind or simply waiting for its own conditions to be met.

Reuters also reports that the two countries have set up an agricultural working group, expected to meet before the end of the year.

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How We Got Here

Farm trade has been a pressure point for years. According to US Department of Agriculture data cited by Free Malaysia Today, US farm exports to China fell 65.7 percent in 2025 to $8.4 billion, after rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs.

After Trump and Xi met in October 2025, China resumed some purchases. State-run buyers bought more than 12 million metric tons of US soybeans, meeting the target the US had announced. After the next summit in Beijing in May, the Chinese commerce ministry called the farm agreements "preliminary" and promised to finalise them quickly. It also said it would address US concerns about beef plant registrations and poultry exports from some states. US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said China had agreed to resume beef imports from 17 US states.

Then came a setback. When China published its list of tariff cuts in late September, it covered corn, wheat, meat, dairy, sorghum and vegetable oils. Soybeans were left off. They still face an extra 10 percent tariff, which traders say is too high for private Chinese processors to absorb. Only state buyers, such as Sinograin and COFCO, have kept buying.

That pattern matters. When purchases depend on state-controlled companies rather than on market prices, Beijing can speed them up or slow them down as a political lever. Traders told Reuters that lower tariffs would be needed to make large-scale buying commercially viable. The Chinese government has also so far not confirmed any purchase target of its own for the volumes the White House has announced.

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What It Means for American Farmers

The slow pace has raised doubts about whether Chinese imports will jump sharply before year-end. For US farmers, who are already dealing with high fuel costs, the delay adds pressure. Markets have reacted to every sign of progress: after the May announcements, corn futures in Chicago rose nearly 5 percent as traders bet on stronger Chinese demand.

The Trump administration's approach is to turn summit handshakes into written, measurable purchase commitments. The current dispute shows how hard that is in practice: a pledge is only as good as its implementation.

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Outlook

Two things will decide what happens next. The first is whether the agricultural working group produces a finalised tariff-cut package in the coming weeks. The second is whether the White House clarifies when the $17 billion target officially begins. Until both are settled, China's buying will likely stay cautious, and US farmers will keep watching the calendar.

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Sources

1. Reuters via Devdiscourse – "China says US farm purchases hinge on tariff-cut deal" (5 Nov 2026): https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/international/4001930-china-says-us-farm-purchases-hinge-on-tariff-cut-deal
2. Reuters via Korea Times – "China says to cut tariffs on US farm goods, but soybeans excluded" (28 Sept 2026): https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20260928/china-says-to-cut-tariffs-on-us-farm-goods-but-soybeans-excluded
3. Reuters via Asharq Al-Awsat – "China Signals Tariff Cuts, Advances in Farm Market Access After Trump-Xi Summit": https://english.aawsat.com/business/5273957-china-signals-tariff-cuts-advances-farm-market-access-after-trump-xi-summit
4. Free Malaysia Today – "China signals tariff cuts, advances farm market access after Trump-Xi summit" (17 May 2026): https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/business/2026/05/17/china-signals-tariff-cuts-advances-farm-market-access-after-trump-xi-summit
5. Rural Voice – "China Signals Tariff Cuts on US Farm Goods, Expands $17 Billion Annual Agriculture Import Deal": https://eng.ruralvoice.in/china-signals-tariff-cuts-on-us-farm-goods-expands-17-billion-annual-agriculture-import-deal

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