By Trevor Hunnicutt
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, May 15 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that American farmers will be happy with his trade deals and that China would be buying “billions of dollars” of soybeans, but gave no details on any new purchases.
Trump spoke with reporters on Air Force One as he returned to the U.S. from a state visit to Beijing.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday that the U.S. expects China to buy “double-digit billions” worth of U.S. farm goods over the next three years following the state visit, but noted the figure was not just for soybeans but all agricultural products.
China has dramatically curbed its purchases of U.S. soybeans since Trump’s first term, sourcing about 15% of its soybeans from the U.S. in 2025, down from 41% in 2016. Instead, the country is turning to cheaper alternatives from Brazil.
“The farmers are going to be very happy. They’re going to be buying billions of dollars of soybeans,” Trump told reporters.
U.S. farmers are expected to yield the second-largest soybean harvest on record this season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt aboard Air Force One; additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Leah Douglas in Washington; writing by Susan Heavey; editing by Michelle Nichols )
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