Trump Offers China a Deal: “No Longer a One-Way Street”- Soybeans for Tariff Relief?

US President Donald Trump said he may reduce tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing agrees to buy more American soybeans, stop fentanyl exports, and ease rare-earth restrictions, warning, “It’s no longer a one-way street.”

Post Published By: Ayushi Bisht
Updated : 20 October 2025, 1:41 PM IST
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Washington: US President Donald Trump signalled on Monday that he would be willing to reduce steep tariffs on Chinese goods but only in return for concrete concessions from Beijing, including renewed purchases of American soybeans, curbs on fentanyl flows and an easing of China’s recent restrictions on rare-earth exports.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said China is “paying us a lot of money, tremendous amount of money in tariffs” and that Washington “can lower that, but they have to do things for us, too.” He framed the move as reciprocal bargaining rather than unilateral relief.

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New tariffs and Beijing’s rare-earth controls

The comments come after the White House announced plans for an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports that the president said would take effect on November 1 is a step the administration has described as retaliation for Beijing’s expanded export controls on rare-earth minerals and related technologies.

If implemented on top of existing levies, the move would push headline duty rates on many Chinese shipments to historically high levels.

China in October raised controls on a range of rare-earth elements: materials critical to modern electronics, electric vehicles and certain defense systems prompting concerns in Washington and allied capitals about supply-chain vulnerability. Beijing has defended the measures as regulatory and national-security steps; U.S. officials view them as leverage in a broader strategic contest.

What Washington wants in return

Trump listed several conditions he said Beijing must meet before he would scale back tariffs. They include sizable purchases of US soybeans- a key demand for Midwestern farm states that were subject to earlier Chinese boycotts and stronger action to halt fentanyl precursor flows into the United States. He also specifically urged China to “stop with the rare earth game” and roll back restrictive export curbs.

The soybean issue has domestic political weight: US farmers suffered when China reduced purchases during prior trade rows, and administration officials frequently cite farm purchases as a bargaining chip.

Separately, fentanyl and synthetic opioid trafficking have been a persistent bilateral security concern that Washington has urged Beijing to address.

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Stakes and likely next steps

Analysts say the president’s comments signal that tariffs remain a negotiable instrument in U.S. strategy but that any rollback will be contingent on verifiable Chinese steps. Markets have already reacted nervously to the tariff rhetoric and China’s export curbs, given how tightly rare-earth processing and supply chains are concentrated in China.

Diplomats and trade officials will now be watching for concrete proposals from Beijing and for any formal US implementation of the announced November tariff. Even if tariffs are adjusted, experts warn that disentangling trade measures, export controls and national-security concerns will be complex and could require detailed, enforceable commitments on purchases and supply-chain access.

Location : 
  • Washington

Published : 
  • 20 October 2025, 1:41 PM IST

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