(Original title: U.S. Treasury Secretary slanders Chinese representatives, American farmers: disappointed, can you speak well)

The Observer Network.

U.S. soybean harvest season has passed, China's orders are zero, plus equipment, fertilizer and other costs are rising, and U.S. farmers are increasingly desperate.

¡°The United States urged the government to choose partnership rather than pressure when dealing with relations with China,¡± Hong Kong¡¯s South China Morning Post on October 28 that U.S. soybean growers had suffered heavy losses and hoped the government would act as soon as possible.

"I don't think we can force the Chinese to do anything. I don't think this is what we need to do." David Burrill, a farmer in Maryland, USA, described China as a "good partner" and stressed that China and the United States "must be a relationship or partner that is beneficial to everyone".

With U.S.-China trade relations turbulent and Argentina joins Brazil to grab the Chinese market after receiving billions of dollars in aid from the United States, U.S. farmers say bankruptcies are rising. They feel abandoned by the Trump administration. American farmers have always been the "ticket warehouse" of the Republican Party.

The picture shows a screenshot of the website of the General Administration of Customs

Burrill, 72, is a supporter of Trump and thinks Trump is a "very successful businessman". But he said that Trump is proficient in real estate and finance, which doesn't mean knowing agriculture. He bluntly said that he was "very disappointed" with U.S. Treasury Secretary Bescent's recent statement against Chinese representatives.

¡°We urgently need an agreement now, because if we miss this opportunity again, our 52 percent of soybeans could be nowhere to go, which would be very, very harmful to our industry,¡± he reiterated, reiterating that the U.S. radical strategy is ¡°necessary and unattainable to China.¡±

According to the website of the Ministry of Commerce, on the 16th, a reporter mentioned that Bessent said China's Deputy Minister of Commerce Li Zhen Steel issued some "incitement" remarks, and also said that it has not recently been invited to Washington, "very disrespectful".

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on the same day that China's position is consistent and clear. The United States should resolve relevant issues through dialogue and consultation with China on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit, rather than repeatedly exerting pressure, threats and intimidation.

John bartman, a fifth-generation farmer in Illinois, USA, criticized the Trump administration for its lack of plans in the agricultural field, and accused its tariff policy of becoming "a shotgun that hits everyone". He mentioned that farmers are "very dissatisfied" with the Trump administration's aid to Argentina, because South American countries are rapidly seizing the Chinese market share of American soybeans.

"This is a major issue," he said, adding that the Trump administration's plan to import Argentine beef not only hurts the cattle industry, but also U.S. farmers. "He will push us further into bankruptcy. Farmers 'bankruptcy rates are rising, which is very unfortunate and should not happen."

The report quoted data from the American Farm Bureau Federation as saying that in 2024, more than 200 American farms will file for bankruptcy, and the United States "will completely lose more than 140,000 farms from 2017 to 2022, and another 20,000 in the past two years." The report also mentioned that U.S. soybean prices have plummeted 58% to below $10 since 2022, and corn has fallen 54% to $4.

U.S. soybean purchases by China buyers have dropped to zero (New York Times)

Earlier this year, the Trump administration unilaterally provoked a trade conflict, causing heavy losses to U.S. agricultural products.

U.S. traders believe that simply extending the tariff suspension is unlikely to boost procurement because China's import tariff on U.S. soybeans remains at 23%, making it uncompetitive. In comparison, Argentina and Brazil, strong competitors for U.S. soybeans, have tariffs of only 3%. Recently, Argentina has just temporarily suspended grain export taxes to make its soybeans more attractive.

China is the world's largest soybean buyer and has great influence on the global market. Agricultural states in the United States have always been Republican ticket warehouses, and Trump is facing increasing pressure from Republican lawmakers in the core of agriculture, who urge the Trump administration to break the deadlock with China on soybean procurement.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies recently estimated that U.S. farmers ¡°will lose $5.7 billion in soybean exports to China by October 2025 compared to the average exports in the past four years,¡± warning that farmers in the central U.S. could bear a ¡°disproportionate burden.¡±

¡°I think we have reached a point where we can¡¯t force the Chinese side to do anything,¡± another farmer in Maryland, who asked for anonymity, also noted that he was ¡°right confident¡± that China and the United States ¡°will eventually reach some agreement,¡± but he didn¡¯t expect ¡°to take so long.¡±

According to Xinhua news agency, from October 25 to 26, local time, the China-U.S. economic and trade leader, State Council deputy prime minister Ho Li Ping and the U.S. side leader, U.S. Treasury Minister Besent and Trade Representative Gril held China-U.S. economic and trade consultations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Bescent was recently interviewed by the US media ABC program (video screenshot)

In a broadcast on ABC on Monday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent said that China¡¯s refusal to buy U.S. soybeans also made him ¡°painful¡± because he was ¡°in fact a soy farmer.¡±

¡°The current situation involves several aspects, first of all, China has drastically reduced its purchases to almost zero,¡± Bessent admitted, adding that U.S. farmers are one of Trump¡¯s most determined supporters, ¡°and on the other hand, this year¡¯s soybean harvest is one of the highest in two or three decades.¡±

According to Bessent, the US-China trade talks have reached a ¡°substantial framework¡± that he believes will alleviate U.S. soybean growers¡¯ concerns about China¡¯s refusal to buy U.S. soybeans.

On the 27th, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun hosted a regular press conference. Bloomberg reporter asked, it is reported that China and the United States have reached a framework trade agreement. Can the spokesman provide more details, especially about the purchase of soybeans mentioned by US Treasury Secretary Bescent?

Guo Jiakun said that China has released information on Sino-US economic and trade consultations. During this economic and trade consultation, the two sides were guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, conducted candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges and consultations around important economic and trade issues of common concern, and reached basic consensus on arrangements to resolve their respective concerns. The two sides agreed to further determine specific details and implement their respective domestic approval procedures.

¡°Concrete questions, it is recommended to ask the competent authorities of the Chinese side,¡± Gu Gu Guangquan said.

The Observer Network.