China renews licences for over 400 US beef exporters as Trump and Xi meet in Beijing – Firstpost

China has renewed export approvals for more than 400 American beef processing plants, in a major boost for US agricultural exporters as Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump opened high-level talks in Beijing on Thursday.

The move restores access for a large section of the US beef industry that had been effectively shut out of the Chinese market after export registrations were allowed to expire over the past year amid escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.

More than 400 US beef facilities had lost export eligibility after licences granted between March 2020 and April 2021 lapsed, according to Chinese customs records. Industry groups estimated that the affected plants accounted for roughly 65 per cent of all previously approved US beef exporters to China.

The licence renewals come as Trump and Xi hold a closely watched summit aimed at stabilising bilateral economic ties, maintaining a fragile trade truce and addressing disputes spanning tariffs, technology restrictions and market access.

US beef producers had been lobbying Washington to make the issue a key part of the summit agenda. White House officials recently assured the United States Cattlemen’s Association that the matter would be discussed during the Beijing meetings, according to the group’s president Justin Tupper.

The loss of export access had become one of the most prominent agricultural trade disputes between the two countries. China did not publicly explain why it allowed the registrations to expire despite commitments under the 2020 Phase One trade agreement signed during Trump’s first term.

US beef exports to China peaked at $1.7 billion in 2022 before falling sharply as trade frictions deepened and export approvals began lapsing.