WASHINGTON D.C. — China has committed to purchasing at least $17 billion per year in U.S. agricultural products through 2028 and restored market access for American beef and poultry, the White House said, as President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded their summit this past week.
The commitments, outlined in a White House fact sheet released after the talks, are in addition to China’s existing pledge from October 2025 to buy 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans annually. The new $17 billion annual figure will be prorated in 2026 and run at full value in 2027 and 2028.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters Friday that the anticipated agreement would extend beyond soybeans to include a broader range of agricultural goods over the next three years, characterizing the expected volume as “double-digit billions” of dollars annually. Trump separately said China would increase purchases of American farm products following the summit, though specific commodities and volumes were not initially disclosed.
The agreement marks the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to the People’s Republic of China since 2017 and arrives after months of stalled farm exports that had weighed on U.S. producers.
Beef and Poultry Access Restored
China renewed expired listings for more than 400 U.S. beef facilities and added new ones, the White House said, restoring market access that producers have sought since registrations lapsed. Chinese authorities will also work with U.S. regulators to lift all remaining suspensions of American beef plants.
China will also resume imports of poultry from U.S. states that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has determined to be free of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Poultry exports had been broadly curtailed amid the ongoing HPAI outbreak that has rippled through commercial flocks since 2022.
Soybeans remain the top U.S. agricultural export to China and have long been central to trade negotiations between the two countries. Traders are also monitoring whether China could reduce soybean tariffs, potentially reopening purchases by private Chinese importers beyond the state-directed buying covered under the agreement.
Broader Framework
The farm commitments are part of a wider package built around two new institutions: the U.S.-China Board of Trade, which will manage bilateral trade in non-sensitive goods, and the U.S.-China Board of Investment, a government-to-government forum for investment-related issues. The White House called the boards the “cornerstone” of the agreement.
China also agreed to address U.S. concerns over supply chain bottlenecks in rare earths and critical minerals — including yttrium, scandium, neodymium and indium — and over restrictions on the sale of rare earth production equipment and technologies. Separately, Beijing approved an initial purchase of 200 American-made Boeing aircraft for Chinese carriers, the first such commitment since 2017.
Trump will host Xi for a return visit to Washington this fall, and the two countries pledged to support each other as hosts of the G20 and APEC summits later this year, according to the fact sheet.
Market Context
For U.S. producers, the beef listings and poultry resumption deliver near-term, tangible wins, while the $17 billion-per-year commitment provides a multi-year demand floor on top of the existing soybean baseline. The breadth of products covered under the broader pledge has not yet been spelled out, and analysts will be watching upcoming USDA export sales reports and Chinese customs data for confirmation that volumes are flowing.
Whether private Chinese crushers re-enter the U.S. soybean market — which would depend on tariff relief not addressed in the fact sheet — remains the next variable for traders to watch.
Read the White House Fact Sheet here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-secures-historic-deals-with-china-delivering-for-american-workers-farmers-and-industry/
