Washington, Sep 24 (IANS) Two Republican lawmakers urged President Donald Trump to press China for reliable access to its soybean and beef markets when he meets President Xi Jinping this week, saying past commitments have left American producers facing uncertainty.
Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska wrote to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer ahead of the talks. He asked the administration to secure further access for American farm products and ensure Beijing fulfils its existing purchase commitments.
Representative Zach Nunn of Iowa made a similar appeal. He said any new trade agreement must produce enforceable results for farmers and workers, rather than another set of promises that could be difficult to rely on.
“President Trump has leverage going into this meeting, and he should use it to demand real results for Iowa farmers and American workers,” Nunn said in a statement.
Both lawmakers focused on soybeans, a major American export to China. Ricketts’ office said China had agreed in October 2025 to buy 25 million metric tonnes of US soybeans annually. Nunn said he had pushed the administration to secure China’s commitment to reopen its market to American soybeans earlier this year.
Their concern now is whether purchases will continue as promised. Ricketts said Beijing had failed to meet commitments under an earlier Phase One trade agreement. His letter asked Greer to monitor Chinese purchases and press for continued compliance.
“While American producers have spent decades building markets in Communist China, they continue to face unfair trading practices and uncertainty from Beijing,” Ricketts wrote.
Beef is the other major issue in his letter. Ricketts said a May 2026 deal had helped restore access for some US processing facilities after China renewed licences it had allowed to expire. Many facilities remained suspended, he said.
He also objected to what he described as an unpublished Chinese limit on residues from certain hormones in beef. Ricketts said exporters did not know how that limit was tested or consistently enforced, making it harder for Nebraska producers to plan sales. Those are concerns raised by the senator; the supplied material does not include Beijing’s response.
Ricketts asked Greer to use the bilateral discussions to seek clearer rules and wider access for American beef. Nebraska, he wrote, exported nearly $8 billion in agricultural goods last year and leads the United States in beef and veal exports.
Nunn cast the trade question more broadly. He said an agreement should open Chinese markets to US products without giving Beijing greater influence over American farmers, manufacturers or national security.
“Beijing has a long record of making promises and failing to deliver on them,” Nunn said. “But it’s clear we can’t take Beijing at its word.”
The farm demands sit alongside other issues members of Congress want Trump to raise with Xi. Lawmakers also called for tighter controls on advanced AI chip exports, talks on AI safety and stronger action over security concerns.
–IANS
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