China ready to expand US agricultural imports if Board of Trade tariff cuts take effect

Beijing says it remains open to buying more agricultural products from the United States, but wants reciprocal tariff cuts covering US$30 billion worth of products on each side to be implemented first under the US-China Board of Trade.

“China has always maintained an open attitude towards expanding agricultural imports from the United States, provided that the agreed-upon reciprocal tariff reduction arrangement – covering $30 billion on each side – is implemented,” Huang Ling, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Commerce, said on Thursday.

The comments followed the Democratic Party’s landslide victory in this week’s US midterm elections, which analysts said could complicate trade talks between Beijing and Washington ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit later this month by raising questions about the Trump administration’s ability to honour its commitments.

“Agricultural trade between China and the United States is a vital component of bilateral economic and trade cooperation,” Huang said.

“We hope the US side will work together with China to foster more favourable conditions for bilateral agricultural trade by jointly lowering tariffs, reducing non-tariff barriers and expanding market access.”

Following President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the US in September, the two sides announced details on the Board of Trade, including a list of goods covered, but did not immediately implement the reduced tariff rates.

On Monday, Li Chenggang, China’s international trade representative and an influential figure in trade talks with Washington, met with an American agricultural delegation, the ministry said.

The two sides discussed economic and trade relations between China and the US, as well as cooperation in agricultural trade, it added.

According to the White House, China had committed to buying at least 25 million tonnes of US soybeans annually through 2028, alongside an additional US$17 billion per year in American agricultural products, adjusted proportionally for 2026.

However, only soybean purchases were so far on track, with 70 per cent of this year’s target already met, an agricultural trader said on condition of anonymity.

“If buying continues at the current pace, the target should be completed before the end of the year,” the trader said, adding that there had been little progress towards the separate US$17 billion annual commitment to buy other American agricultural products.

“Likely because [China] is also waiting for the implementation of reciprocal tariff reductions,” the trader said.

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Also on Thursday, the commerce ministry announced that it would extend countervailing duties on US n-Propanol imports, a crucial industrial material for packaging, for an additional five years.