China agrees to buy 10 million tons of U.S. coal in 2027 and 2028

Investing.com -- China has agreed to purchase at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028 as Washington and Beijing expand trade cooperation following their latest high-level talks, Bloomberg reported.

The coal commitment forms part of agreements reached under the newly operational U.S.-China Board of Trade, according to a White House statement.

The two countries will also pursue preferential tariffs covering $30 billion of non-sensitive goods from both sides, potentially lowering trade barriers across a range of consumer and industrial products.

U.S. goods eligible for preferential tariff treatment include agricultural products, seafood, timber, cosmetics and medical devices. Chinese products covered by the agreement include small appliances, toys, holiday decorations and children’s car seats.

Agriculture will receive separate attention through a newly created working group tasked with addressing market-access barriers. The sector has repeatedly featured in trade negotiations between the two countries.

Washington and Beijing also established a Board of Investment to discuss investment opportunities and address obstacles facing companies seeking to invest across the two markets.

Critical minerals remain another area of negotiation. The countries agreed to continue discussions over U.S. concerns about supply-chain shortages involving rare earths and other critical minerals, which are used across technology, automotive and defence industries.

President Donald Trump also urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to increase China’s production of refined petroleum products as the U.S. seeks to stabilise global supplies amid disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict.

Technology will form another part of the bilateral discussions. Washington and Beijing agreed to continue talks covering emerging technologies, with their next exchange focused on artificial intelligence scheduled to take place by November.

The agreements follow the three-day Trump-Xi summit in Washington, where trade, technology, critical minerals and other economic issues featured prominently.

The coal purchase commitment provides a concrete trade measure from the talks, with China set to import at least 20 million metric tons of U.S. coal across the two years.