Trump says he hopes China buys four times as much US soybeans
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he hoped China massively stepped up its purchases of American soybeans - comments that come a day before a trade truce expires.
"China is worried about its shortage of soybeans,' Trump wrote on the Truth Social website on Monday (Aug 11). "I hope China will quickly quadruple its soybean orders. This is also a way of substantially reducing China's Trade Deficit with the USA.'
Trump also thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the post, without saying why.
China has long fretted about reserves of soybeans, which are a key element of the nation's diet and livestock feed. Beijing faces an Aug. 12 deadline for its tariff truce with the US to expire, though the Trump administration has signalled that is likely to be extended.
China agreed to step up purchases of US agricultural goods like soybeans during the so-called phase one trade agreement reached during his first term. Beijing fell well short of the purchase targets in that pact. - Bloomberg
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