Senior officials in President Donald Trump's administration have urged China to carry out its commitments under the countries' 2025 trade agreement fully and without delay. The appeal comes ahead of an expected meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen later this month.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer discussed economic and trade relations with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng by videoconference on Friday. According to a statement from Greer's office, Greer stressed that Beijing needed to take concrete steps to fulfill earlier promises, particularly those involving agricultural purchases, rare earths and other critical minerals.
Those commitments stem from an agreement Trump and Xi reached in Busan, South Korea, during the 2025 APEC summit. The accord followed a series of tariff increases exchanged by the world's two largest economies, prompted by Trump's broader tariff policy, which placed particular emphasis on China among the countries it targeted.
Under the Busan agreement, US tariffs imposed on Chinese goods during Trump's second term were capped at about 20%. China committed to purchasing 25 million metric tons of US soybeans for the following three years. Beijing also agreed to maintain rare earth exports and suspend new restrictions on those shipments. These minerals are essential to the technology industry, and the Trump administration has previously complained that China was falling short of its supply commitments.
Following the call, Bessent wrote on X that the administration would keep pursuing policies intended to support American workers, farmers and businesses while strengthening US economic and national security. The discussion also brought objections from Beijing: He, China's chief trade negotiator with Washington, voiced "serious concern" about recent US trade restrictions affecting China, according to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Xinhua did not identify the restrictions He was referring to. Its account nevertheless said both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation and manage their differences appropriately, with the aim of maintaining a stable trade relationship between the two countries.
The Busan pact initially had a one-year duration. During Xi's September visit to the White House, the two countries extended it until January 10, 2027. Trump and Xi are expected to hold another meeting at the APEC forum scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen.
Separately, Beijing has confirmed for the first time that discussions are underway about a trilateral summit involving Xi, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin alongside the APEC gathering. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a briefing in Beijing this week that China was communicating with the relevant parties about a meeting of the three leaders.
