BEIJING, Nov 5 — China is open to buying more US farm goods, but only if the two sides implement their reciprocal tariff-cut agreement, the commerce ministry said on Thursday, signalling tariff concessions remain central to Beijing's aims.

Source: Reuters

"China has consistently been open to expanding purchases of agricultural products from the US, but only on the condition that the two sides implement their agreed '$30 billion-for-$30 billion' reciprocal tariff-reduction arrangement," commerce ministry spokesperson Huang Ling said at a regular press briefing.

Source: Reuters via DevDiscourse

Following a September summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Washington, the two sides proposed a $60 billion package of reciprocal tariff cuts — yaani 6,000 crore dollars in total — including roughly $17 billion worth of US farm goods that China imported in 2024, though the plan has yet to be finalised, Reuters reported.

China hopes the US will work with it to lower tariffs, reduce non-tariff barriers and expand market access, Huang added.

The pledge this answers

On Nov 2, a Reuters analysis found China's non-soy buying of US farm goods was on track for a seven-year low, and noted the White House had not said whether the $17 billion clock began in May or only once China's proposed tariff cuts were finalised. Read the earlier story: China's slow buying tests $17 billion pledge

The White House said in May that Beijing had agreed to buy $17 billion of US agricultural goods annually from 2026, with this year's target adjusted on a prorated basis. Those purchases were in addition to a commitment made in October last year to buy US soybeans.

China is on track to meet its soybean purchase target, but bought only $7.2 billion of other US agricultural products, including meat and corn, between January and September, according to the Reuters analysis; imports of non-soy farm products were at their lowest level for the period since 2019, at the height of the first US-China trade war.

The two sides have set up an agricultural working group which is expected to meet before the end of the year, Reuters reported. The White House could not immediately be reached for comment outside of working hours.

Traders have told Reuters that lower tariffs would be needed to make large-scale purchases commercially viable, and the slow pace of buying has fuelled doubts over whether imports will rise sharply this year, adding to pressure on US farmers already grappling with high fuel costs.

What happens next: Beijing has now publicly tied the farm purchases to the tariff cuts being implemented, so the next test is the agricultural working group's meeting before year-end — and whether Washington finalises the $30 billion-for-$30 billion arrangement Huang named.