The US and China have reached an agreement in principle to pursue reciprocal tariff reductions on agricultural goods, following direct talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The framework includes China committing to spend at least $17 billion annually on US agricultural products through 2028, alongside a separate pledge to purchase 25 million metric tons of US soybeans per year from 2026 through 2028.
How bad did it get
To understand why this matters, you need a number: 7.4 million metric tons.
That is how many metric tons of US soybeans China actually imported in 2025, down more than 70% from 2024 levels. At their peak, US tariffs on Chinese goods hit 145%, with China retaliating at 125% on American imports.
