Trump-Xi Exchange: Chinese President Questions US President's Claims About American Soybeans

During a recent White House roundtable, US President Donald Trump revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed skepticism about his assertion regarding American soybeans being "more nutritious" than competitors.

Trump recounted that Xi responded to this claim by asking, "Is that a Trump statement or is that real?" followed by, "Really? I had never heard of it." The exchange occurred during their October 30 meeting in Busan, South Korea.

The conversation was shared during a White House event on December 8, where Trump was discussing his $12 billion farm aid package with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and various farmers.

According to Trump, he had been promoting US agricultural exports to Xi, highlighting the supposed nutritional superiority of American soybeans. Xi, despite his background in food procurement, appeared unfamiliar with this assertion.

Following their South Korea meeting, China has significantly increased its soybean purchases, acquiring at least 840,000 metric tons for December and January delivery, as reported by Reuters.

These purchases came after Trump reduced tariffs on Chinese imports from 57 percent to 47 percent, with Beijing pledging cooperation regarding the fentanyl crisis in return.

"China has committed to purchasing more than $40 billion worth of soybeans," Trump stated during the roundtable. "I asked President Xi Jinping if he could exceed that figure. And I think he will."

Trump's farm aid announcement comes at a time when there's growing dissatisfaction with his economic policies, particularly regarding tariffs and cost of living concerns.

In what appeared to be a shift in messaging, Trump acknowledged on Monday that there is an affordability "problem," after previously dismissing such concerns as a "hoax" and a "con job" orchestrated by Democratic opponents.

"The Democrats caused the affordability problem and we're fixing it," he concluded.