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Business & Economy307 outlets ran this3 min read

China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, excluding soybeans

Reciprocal tariff reductions include sorghum, meat, and dairy, but soybeans remain subject to a 10% duty.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, excluding soybeans

What this story says

  • China will reduce tariffs on a broad range of US agricultural products, including sorghum, vegetable oils, meat, and dairy.
  • These tariff reductions are part of a $60 billion reciprocal tariff reduction package between the US and China.
  • Soybeans, a major US agricultural export, have been excluded from the tariff reductions and will continue to face an additional 10% tariff.
  • Chinese state-owned companies have purchased over 12 million tons of US soybeans.

Who covered it

Left 22%(39)Centre 53%(94)Right 25%(44)

Percentages are shares of the 177 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 130 of the 307 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

50/100

Craft

65/100

Hype

40/100

307 sources · methodology

Missing from the left

Only 39 of the 177 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

China is set to reduce tariffs on a wide array of United States agricultural products, encompassing items such as sorghum, vegetable oils and meals, meat, and dairy. These reductions are part of a $60 billion reciprocal tariff reduction package agreed upon by both nations. However, soybeans, a significant US agricultural export, have been excluded from this list and will continue to be subject to an additional 10% tariff.

The tariff reductions were announced following a summit between the leaders of China and the United States. The Ministry of Commerce of China and the White House jointly released the list of products eligible for tariff cuts. More than 90% of the affected products will be subject to most-favoured-nation tariff rates rather than the additional tariffs previously imposed.

Disagreement on timing of tariff reductions

CNN Brasil reported that the announcement did not specify when the tariff reductions would take effect. None of the other reports addressed the timing of these reductions.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mention the specific figure of over 12 million tons of US soybeans purchased by Chinese state-owned companies. The centre-rated report did not mention this figure either. No left-rated outlet ran this story.

Tags:#ChinaTrade#USChinaRelations#Tariffs#Agriculture

Coverage settled. We checked this 23 times and stopped on 4 Oct 2026, 00:30. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

39 rated outlets

  • The left-rated outlets reported that China and the US agreed to reduce tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods. These included items such as toys, sports equipment, and coal. Several reports noted that agriculture products were also on the list.
  • The digests mentioned that the lists were for non-sensitive goods. Some outlets specified that the US imports included items like hair products and Christmas decorations, while Chinese imports featured household appliances.
  • The reports agreed that the tariff cuts followed a meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Trump. The Associated Press News and NBC Boston digests stated that each country released lists worth about $30 billion.

Centre

94 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated report from The Globe & Mail led with the news that China is set to cut tariffs on a broad range of US agricultural goods, from corn and wheat to meat and dairy. It noted that soybeans, the top import item, were excluded from the tariff-reduction list issued by China's commerce ministry. The report also mentioned that Reuters Chief China Commodities Correspondent Lewis Jackson would examine what is known about Donald Trump's proposed US-China Board of Trade.

Right

44 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports highlighted China's reduction of tariffs on US farm imports while specifically noting the exclusion of soybeans. Yonhap News Agency reported on reciprocal tariff cuts worth 81 trillion won ($60 billion), stating that US soybeans, 'carefully grown by Trump,' were excluded. Clarin's headline focused on the reduction of tariffs on several US agro-industrial products but not soybeans, noting a near $9 drop in Chicago prices. Latestly also reported that China lowered tariffs on US farm imports but kept soybeans subject to an additional 10% duty. Regional Media News's headline stated China would cut tariffs on US farm goods but excluded soybeans.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, excluding soybeans?
Of the 177 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 22% are rated left, 53% are rated centre, 25% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 307. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, excluding soybeans left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 177 rated outlets on this story, 22% are rated left, 53% are rated centre, 25% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, excluding soybeans biased?
China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, excluding soybeans is one event reported by 307 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, excluding soybeans?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered China cuts tariffs on US farm goods, excluding soybeans?
307 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What agricultural products will see reduced tariffs from China?
China will reduce tariffs on a broad range of US agricultural products. This includes sorghum, vegetable oils and meals, meat, and dairy products, among others.
Will soybeans be included in China's tariff reductions?
No, soybeans have been excluded from China's list of tariff reductions. They will continue to face an additional 10% tariff.
What is the total value of the reciprocal tariff reductions?
The tariff reductions are part of a $60 billion reciprocal tariff reduction package between the United States and China.
Have Chinese companies purchased US soybeans?
Yes, Chinese state-owned companies have purchased over 12 million tons of US soybeans. This purchase is part of a larger commitment.

Read it at the source

311 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

39
Show 31 more

Centre

95
Show 87 more

Right

44
Show 36 more

Not rated

133
Show 125 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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