Nebraska US Sen. Pete Ricketts asks Trump to push China to buy more ag goods

LINCOLN — Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, urging the Trump administration to push China for more market access for U.S. agricultural products and ensure it upholds existing commitments. 

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is in the U.S. this week to meet with President Donald Trump for a three-day summit. Issues including AI, trade and Taiwan will likely be top of mind for the two world leaders. Ricketts’ letter comes as China hasn’t met its May pledge to buy more American agricultural products. 

“While American producers have spent decades building markets in Communist China, they continue to face unfair trading practices and uncertainty from Beijing,” Ricketts’ letter reads. “The bilateral discussions provide another opportunity to make progress on restoring market access for American beef. Nebraska farmers and ranchers can compete with anyone in the world when given fair and reliable access to foreign markets.” 

The Trump administration announced in May that China has agreed to buy at least $17 billion a year of U.S. farm goods through 2028, with the target prorated for 2026, according to The New York Times. The same report said that in the first seven months of 2026, China bought only $3.9 billion of U.S. agricultural products, excluding soybeans, according to the most recent USDA data.

Ricketts mentioned the “deal” between the Trump Administration and Beijing in the letter, saying, “It made notable progress toward restoring market access for U.S. beef, but there is still work to be done.” 

“Communist China restored some market access by renewing licenses they allowed to expire for more than 400 U.S. beef facilities,” Ricketts wrote. “Many facilities are still suspended. Under the Phase One agreement, Beijing agreed to accept food meeting international standards and provide a clear path towards resolution if a particular exporter demonstrated a pattern of failing to meet standards.” 

While a breakthrough is not expected during the three-day visit, Greer has said that the U.S. and China are still working through a trade truce extension, according to Bloomberg. The two countries entered a truce from trade escalations last year. The truce is set to expire in November. 

“More work remains, and I am committed to working with you to give our farmers and ranchers a stable, level playing field to compete and win on,” Ricketts wrote. 

Trade has been an issue in the senator’s heated race against registered nonpartisan Dan Osborn, who has criticized Trump’s trade wars as having hurt Nebraska farmers. He said he prefers more strategic tariffs rather than “blanket” tariffs.

Ricketts has defended the widespread tariffs imposed under the Trump administration, saying they help level the playing field between the U.S. and other nations. He said he wants to keep using tariffs to protect Nebraska agriculture. Osborn used Trump’s plan to import foreign beef in a new ad as he tries to make inroads with rural voters. 

Ricketts also has spoken out against the plan to import foreign beef. The Ricketts campaign said in a statement to Politico that the former governor has a record of standing for his state’s agriculture community “no matter who is president — from fighting Biden’s 30×30 plan to opposing this beef import plan.”