PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem, accompanied by two South Dakota producers, today joined President Donald Trump at the White House as he signed the first phase of the United States-China Trade Agreement. The finalized deal is expected to double the ag goods China buys from American producers and includes a purchase of approximately $80 billion of ag products in the next two years.
“The agreement President Trump locked in today is an incredible economic victory for South Dakota producers,” said Noem. “This historic deal opens up new markets and advances opportunities for farmers and ranchers to do what they do best: feed the world.”
“The pioneer spirit lives on in South Dakota agriculture, and today’s agreement could very well be the new horizon we need to extend our operations and continue producing the food, feed, fiber, and fuel for the world,” said Jerry Schmitz, a South Dakota soybean and corn producer and Executive Director of South Dakota Soybean.
“I applaud the administration for its hard work in negotiating a deal that includes U.S. agriculture purchase commitments by China,” said Craig Andersen, a South Dakota pork producer and board member of the National Pork Producers Council. “It’s no secret China is facing a pork shortage, and we urge China to support the purchase commitments it has made through this agreement.”
The agreement signed by President Trump requires structural reforms to China’s economic and trade regime in the areas of agriculture, financial services, intellectual property, technology transfer, and currency and foreign exchange.
