China Commits $17 Billion Annual U.S. Farm Purchases
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- China pledged to purchase at least $17 billion of U.S. agricultural products annually in 2026, 2027 and 2028, according to a White House fact sheet released May 17.
- President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping reached the pledge during their meetings last week.
- China’s $17 billion commitment does not count the soybean purchase commitments made in October 2025.
- U.S. agricultural exports to China fell 65.7% year‑on‑year to $8.4 billion in 2025, as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- China will cooperate with U.S. regulators to lift suspensions on U.S. beef facilities and to resume imports of poultry from states deemed free of avian influenza.
- Wang Yi said the two economies will create a US‑China Board of Trade and a US‑China Board of Investment to address market‑access concerns and expand trade under a reciprocal tariff‑reduction framework.
Why it matters: The commitment gives U.S. farmers a guaranteed $17 billion sales pipeline for the next three years, offsetting a 65.7% plunge in exports and helping restore market access, while China secures a reliable source of farm products and eases restrictions on beef and poultry imports.
