“In our state, the biggest industry is agriculture … we’ve got the Chinese now buying soybeans,” Sen. Ted Budd told Newsmax on Thursday, praising President Donald Trump’s six-day Asia tour as a major win for American farmers.
Speaking on Newsmax’s “Wake Up America,” the North Carolina Republican said the president’s trip marked an important milestone for U.S. agriculture — especially for North Carolina, where the $110–$112 billion farming industry has been hit hard by years of trade tensions and weak export markets.
Budd said China’s decision to resume large purchases of U.S. soybeans is particularly critical for farm-dependent states that have long felt the impact of Beijing’s trade policies.
“Restoring Chinese purchases was our top concern,” Budd said, emphasizing the economic relief the deal could bring to growers after years of uncertainty.
He noted that Chinese restrictions had previously penalized North Carolina producers, particularly soybean and tobacco farmers, and expressed optimism that Trump’s trip helped reverse that trend.
Trump’s Asia tour — which included stops in Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea and culminated in a meeting with Chinese leadership — was widely seen by analysts as a high-stakes effort to secure new trade frameworks and investment opportunities for the United States.
Following that meeting, China agreed to resume large-scale soybean imports, pledging millions of metric tons annually after years of sharp cutbacks. The move comes amid growing pressure from U.S. farm groups, as China had shifted much of its soybean sourcing to Brazil and other suppliers.
Analysts say the tour also aimed to strengthen U.S. supply-chain ties across Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. The Brookings Institution noted that the trip could shape U.S.–China relations for years, with rare earths, agriculture, and regional security among the key agenda items.
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