Commerce Ministry spokesperson Huang Ling said on Thursday that China is open to buying more US agricultural products, but only if a reciprocal ‘30 billion for 30 billion’ tariff reduction is carried out. The US response has not been confirmed.
According to Huanqiu (Global Times) and Xinhua, Huang answered a question on expanding purchases of US agricultural products at the November 5 regular briefing. She described China-US farm trade as an important part of bilateral economic cooperation.
광고 문의 · 300×250Huang said wider agricultural cooperation would benefit consumers in both countries and give businesses and farmers steady income. She added that China is open to expanding purchases of US farm goods, but on the premise that the reciprocal ‘30 billion for 30 billion’ tariff-cut arrangement is implemented. The report does not state the currency of that figure, and we do not assume one.
She reportedly asked Washington to work with Beijing to lower tariffs together, cut non-tariff barriers and widen market access for farm trade. In other words, expanded purchases were framed as a step both sides take in tandem, not a one-sided pledge.
What the background shows
Our searches turned up multiple reports, including Bloomberg, that in May the US side announced China had agreed to buy at least 17 billion dollars of US agricultural products a year through 2028. A separate headline mentioned a 30-billion-dollar tariff-reduction framework, but we could not open its text, so whether it is the same matter as this ‘30 billion for 30 billion’ arrangement has not been confirmed.
The two sides’ wording differs. The US announcement stressed China’s purchase commitment, while the Commerce Ministry’s remarks stress that reciprocal tariff cuts must take hold first. Some foreign outlets reported that China had lowered tariffs on certain US farm goods but that soybeans remain costly; we could not confirm the specific rates.
As of November 5, no official reaction from the US Commerce or Agriculture departments to the remarks had been confirmed, and the Huanqiu report names no specific products or implementation schedule for the tariff cuts. The actual scale and timing of farm purchases will depend on how the two sides resolve this precondition.