China and the United States have signed a deal to expand agricultural trade through tariff reductions and address non-tariff barriers and market access issues. The agreement was announced by China's commerce ministry following a summit in Beijing this week. The deal aims to promote two-way trade, including agricultural products, but does not specify which products will be affected.

The $8.4 Billion Drop in Farm Imports

China's farm imports from the US still face an additional 10% levy after last year's rounds of tit-for-tat tariff hikes. According to the U.S . Department of Agriculture data, these imports fell 65.7% year-on-year to US$8.4 billion in 2025. This significant drop highlights the impact of ongoing trade tensions on agricultural trade between the two countries.

China Resumes Purchases of US Farm Goods

China resumed purchases of some US farm goods after an October meeting, fulfilling a US-stated commitment to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans by the end of February. China also purchased some US wheat cargoes and large volumes of sorghum. Market watchers expect a 10% cut in soybean tariffs, which could allow private Chinese crushers to resume purchases that were largely sidelined duriing last year's US harvest.

Beef and Poultry Exports Addressed

China will work to address US concerns over registration of beef facilities and poultry exports from certain US states. beijing on Friday granted five-year registration extensions to 425 US beef plants that had largely been shut out after their registrations lapsed last year,and approved new five-year registrations for 77 additional US facilities. this move is seen as a step towards normalizing China-US farm trade .

Unspecified Products and Values

Despite the agreement, neither side has yet released details on specific products, values, or volumes. US trade representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday that the US expects China to buy 'double-digit billions' worth of US farm goods over the next three years. The lack of specific details leaves many questions unanswered about the future of agricultural trade between the two countries.