# Bessent presses China on $17B farm purchase pledge in trade talks

*The Treasury secretary demanded Beijing buy 25 million metric tons of US soybeans annually under the Busan pact, while China seeks tariff rollbacks on $60 billion in trade.*

**Published:** November 8, 2026  
**By:** Mina Okoro  
**Section:** Trade & Industrial Policy — Cross-border  
**Format:** Breaking  
**Confidence:** high  
**Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/trade-policy/bessent-presses-china-17b-farm-purchase-pledge-trade-talks-1239  
**Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/)

---

## What to know

- US presses China to fulfill $17 billion annual farm purchase pledge
- Beijing conditions farm orders on $60 billion mutual tariff cut package
- Trump and Xi meet at Shenzhen APEC summit on Nov. 18

![Yellow gantry cranes stand over a docked container ship loaded with cargo at a bustling port terminal at dusk. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-11-08-535a2faa9d65.webp)
*Yellow gantry cranes stand over a docked container ship loaded with cargo at a bustling port terminal at dusk. (AI-generated image)*

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pressed Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Nov. 7 to honor terms of the bilateral Busan trade pact ahead of a planned presidential summit.

The accord, signed in South Korea last year, capped U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports at 20%. In return, Beijing committed to buy $17 billion of American agricultural goods each year.

*The rest of this briefing is for members. Creating an account is free. [Continue reading](https://eastasiabrief.com/trade-policy/bessent-presses-china-17b-farm-purchase-pledge-trade-talks-1239).*

---

Cite as: East Asia Brief, "Bessent presses China on $17B farm purchase pledge in trade talks," November 8, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/trade-policy/bessent-presses-china-17b-farm-purchase-pledge-trade-talks-1239