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President Donald Trump on Sunday urged China to sharply increase purchases of American soybeans, saying it would help ease the country’s crop shortages and reduce its trade deficit with the United States.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called on Beijing to “quadruple” its soybean orders and pledged fast fulfillment if the request was met.
“China is worried about its shortage of soybeans. Our great farmers produce the most robust soybeans. I hope China will quickly quadruple its soybean orders. This is also a way of substantially reducing China’s Trade Deficit with the USA. Rapid service will be provided. Thank you President XI,” Trump wrote.
The appeal comes just days before the expiration of Trump’s previously announced tariffs on Chinese goods. Administration officials have yet to decide whether to extend or modify the measures.
China imports more than 60 percent of the world’s soybeans, primarily from the United States and Brazil. The country brought in more than 105 million metric tons last year, according to Reuters, with less than a quarter of that coming from U.S. producers — a drop from prior years following trade tensions that began in 2018.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” said tariffs on Chinese goods remain “on the table” but noted that no decision had been made. “The president said he’s thinking about it, but he hasn’t made any firm decisions,” Vance said. “The China issue is a little bit more complicated because our relationship… affects a lot of other things that have nothing to do with the Russian situation.”
Trump has repeatedly highlighted agricultural exports as a priority in trade talks, framing them as critical to supporting U.S. farmers and narrowing the trade gap with China.
The post also comes as Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is set to meet with President Trump at the White House on Monday, just days after the president publicly called for his resignation over alleged links to Chinese companies, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump’s criticism followed concerns raised by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., about Tan’s prior connections to Chinese firms and his leadership of Cadence Design Systems. Last week, Cadence agreed to pay $140 million to settle Justice Department allegations over sales to a Chinese military university.