When Chinese President Xi Jinping lands in Washington later this month, don't expect a sweeping trade deal to steal the headlines. Instead, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is setting the stage for something more targeted: agriculture and non-tariff barriers.
"When President Xi comes, we expect that we will probably have some more announcements on agriculture and non-tariff barriers related to agriculture to incentivize American sales into China," Greer told Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier on Thursday.
He also poured cold water on the idea of a grand bargain. "We're not looking for a giant comprehensive trade agreement with China. We're looking to manage this relationship," Greer said.
Building on the May Framework
This pragmatic approach extends the groundwork laid by President Donald Trump and Xi during their May summit. That meeting produced a U.S.-China Board of Trade for non-sensitive goods, and China agreed to buy at least $17 billion of U.S. agricultural products annually through 2028, on top of soybean purchase commitments made in October 2025.
The May package also reopened the Chinese market to U.S. beef by renewing expired listings for more than 400 American beef facilities and adding new ones, while resuming poultry imports from eligible U.S. states.
After that summit, Greer explained the administration's goal: "manage the trade around the kinds of things we want to be selling to China, whether it's Boeings or soybeans or other ag or energy or medical devices."
Soybeans remain a key focus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported private exporters logged 192,000 metric tons of soybean sales to China on Sept. 3, following 202,000 tons on Sept. 2 and 136,000 tons on Sept. 1 for the 2026-27 marketing year.
Tariff Tensions Loom
The agriculture push comes amid unresolved trade friction. In August, reports emerged that Trump is weighing a new 7.5% tariff on Chinese imports to address industrial overcapacity, a level administration officials believe would preserve the one-year trade truce and the planned Xi meeting.
China, for its part, has urged stability. Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently called on both sides to "remove disruptions and overcome obstacles" ahead of Xi's visit.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative had set a July 10 deadline for input on which non-sensitive products could benefit from tariff modifications under the proposed Board of Trade, with comments limited until July 27.
So, while the headlines may not scream "historic deal," the nuts-and-bolts work on agriculture could quietly move the needle for American farmers and exporters. And in trade, sometimes the small steps matter most.
