Sino-US soybean trade discussed in Washington

A Chinese trade delegation and a United States soybean industry council have discussed soybean trade, practical cooperation in agriculture, and the implementation of recent high-level consensus between the two countries.

Ren Hongbin, president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, led a Chinese business delegation on Thursday to meet Jim Sutter, CEO of the US Soybean Export Council, and other US agricultural leaders in Washington.

The meeting came after the October meeting in Busan, South Korea, between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sutter described China as the world's largest and most irreplaceable soybean market for US farmers.

He expressed strong optimism about bilateral ties.

"I remain confident that this relationship will be a strong long-term relationship," Sutter told China Daily.

"Soybeans and the soybean trade between these two countries can be a good example for how the countries can work together and how we can rebuild the relationship and make sure we keep it going on the right path," he said.

USSEC Vice-Chair Mike McCranie, who is also a soybean farmer, told China Daily that US farmers felt the pain of past trade disruptions, but remain hopeful about restored cooperation.

"When these tariffs hit, it's painful. It is really painful for me and for my fellow farmers," McCranie said. "In my state, seven out of every 10 rows grown are exported, and three-and-a-half of those go to China."

"We need one another," he added.

During the meeting, Ren said that the immediate priority is to fully implement the consensus reached in Busan while keeping communication channels open.

He said everyone is "very hopeful and also anticipating" the next summit and urged businesses to "continue to communicate with each other for the demand and supply" and "keep the channel very smooth and open".

Ren particularly encouraged cooperation in green and low-carbon agriculture, welcoming US partners to jointly develop proposals for the 2026 APEC meeting. "If you have some concept in your mind … how to develop a common proposal with China together on green agriculture, that is very welcome," he said.

He recalled that China and the US successfully submitted a joint proposal on global supply-chain security at last year's APEC meeting in Lima, Peru, and expressed hope to continue such collaboration. The 2026 APEC meeting will be held in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, in November next year.

Sutter highlighted the potential for cooperation on sustainability. "We're very proud of US soy and with our very low carbon footprint in our soy production," Sutter said. "Perhaps using APEC as a place where we could highlight that … maybe US soy can help in some way."

Chinese enterprises expressed a strong willingness to increase purchases and explore green cooperation. Wang Bei of COFCO Oils & Fats said Chinese companies "are ready to buy soybeans from the US" once bilateral conditions improve, and thanked the USSEC for its long-term promotion efforts.

Representatives of Optimize Integration Group and China International Exhibition Center Group both voiced keen interest in US soy and offered to host dedicated USSEC seminars at the June 2026 China International Supply Chain Expo to promote sustainable US soy to Chinese buyers.