In a significant development for agricultural trade relations, a high-level Chinese trade delegation convened with United States soybean industry leaders in Washington to discuss revitalizing bilateral soybean commerce and implementing recent high-level agreements. The meeting, led by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade President Ren Hongbin, featured substantive discussions with US Soybean Export Council CEO Jim Sutter and other agricultural representatives.
The dialogue represents a concrete step toward implementing the consensus reached during the October meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea. Both parties expressed strong commitment to rebuilding trade channels that have experienced significant disruption in recent years.
Sutter characterized China as “the world’s largest and most irreplaceable soybean market” for American farmers, expressing robust optimism about the long-term relationship. He proposed that soybean trade could serve as a model for broader US-China cooperation, stating, “Soybeans and the soybean trade between these two countries can be a good example for how the countries can work together.”
The human impact of trade tensions was articulated by USSEC Vice-Chair Mike McCranie, an active soybean farmer, who described the “painful” consequences of tariffs while emphasizing mutual dependency: “In my state, seven out of every ten rows grown are exported, and three-and-a-half of those go to China. We need one another.”
The discussions extended beyond immediate trade resumption to include sustainable agriculture collaboration. Ren specifically encouraged joint development of green and low-carbon agricultural proposals for the 2026 APEC meeting in Shenzhen, building on previous successful cooperation on global supply-chain security at last year’s APEC summit in Lima.
Chinese commercial enterprises demonstrated strong purchasing intent, with COFCO Oils & Fats representative Wang Bei confirming readiness to increase US soybean purchases as bilateral conditions improve. Additional companies proposed hosting dedicated USSEC seminars at the June 2026 China International Supply Chain Expo to promote sustainable US soy to Chinese buyers.