Background
Following President Trump’s three-leg journey across Asia in October of 2025, the White House has released details of new trade agreements that seek to increase U.S. agricultural exports. Additionally, agreements executed earlier this year with the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the European Union (E.U.) mark a similar attempt to increase exports to various European nations. This article will briefly discuss the details of the various trade developments announced by the White House throughout 2025.
Mutual Responsibilities & Consequences
It is important to note that the trade deals discussed below are still preliminary and in some cases are merely agreed upon “frameworks” meant to guide negotiations as they progress. As a result, they are not (and are not yet intended to be) binding on either country. Given the unpredictability of international trade, the final agreements could potentially vary greatly from these initial framework agreements, depending on future negotiations.
Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the exclusive power to “regulate commerce with foreign nations.” In the past, when the President exercised their power to negotiate trade agreements, they were considered “congressional-executive agreements” and would ultimately require Congress’ approval under trade promotion authority (TPA) enacted by Congress. However, the most recent TPA authority expired in 2021, creating uncertainty in whether foreign trade agreements would require congressional authorization. For example, when President Biden executed the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), no agreements under this trade deal were submitted to Congress for approval.
With the expiration of the TPA, it is unclear whether President Trump’s “framework agreements” will require Congressional approval, creating yet another area of uncertainty in the future of these agreements. The Congressional Research Service has recently published a report that may be helpful for more information on the interplay between executive and legislative authority.
China
Following a meeting in South Korea between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House published details of a new trade deal agreed upon by the U.S. and China. In a fact sheet recently published on the White House website, the trade deal is referred to as a “historic agreement” that will “open China’s market to U.S. soybeans and other agricultural exports.” The trade deal stipulates that China will suspend its retaliatory tariffs implemented throughout 2025. These include tariffs on U.S. chicken, wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Further, China has agreed to purchase at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans during the final two months of 2025. China has also committed to purchase at least 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans in 2026, 2027, and 2028. Finally, China has agreed to resume purchasing U.S. sorghum, hardwood, and softwood logs.
China is a major purchaser of U.S. soy, so this can have a significant impact on production and market values. For example, in 2024 China purchased 26.81 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans. Between January and May of 2025, before trade tensions escalated, figures indicate China had imported 6 million metric tons of U.S. Soybeans. It has been reported by the USDA that since the summit in South Korea, China has purchased 792,000 metric tons of U.S. soybeans.
As of the time of writing, China has not publicly issued a confirmation of its commitment to purchase the specified amounts of U.S. soybeans. However, in regards to some other components of the deal, China has confirmed its suspension of its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports. It will, however, leave in place a 13% tariff on imported U.S. soybeans.
Japan
During the trip to Asia, President Trump met with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to reconfirm the Framework Agreement entered by the U.S. and Japan on July 22, 2025. The framework contained provisions intended to bolster agricultural trade between the U.S. and Japan. Details of this agreement were outlined in an Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 4, 2025, titled “Implementing the United States-Japan Agreement.” The Executive Order states that Japan will be “working toward an expedited implementation of a 75 percent increase of United States rice procurements within the Minimum Access rice scheme.” Additionally, Japan will be investing $8 billion per year towards “purchases of United States agricultural goods, including corn, soybeans, fertilizer, bioethanol (including for sustainable aviation fuel).” Japan has reconfirmed its commitments in a recently published Joint Statement between Japan and the U.S..
The United Kingdom
On May 8, 2025 President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the U.S.-UK Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD). Per the general terms of this agreement, the United Kingdom will be removing its 20% tariff on U.S. beef exports, which currently impacts beef exports within a quota of 1,000 metric tons. The U.K. has also agreed to create a preferential duty-free quota of 13,000 metric tons for U.S. beef. A preferential-duty free agreement is a form of trade agreement that allows products to be imported with reduced import costs and fees. The trade deal between the U.S. and the U.K. also stipulates that the two nations will “commit to working together to improve market access for agricultural products.” However, the trade deal does not go into detail on how exactly market access will be improved. An update recently published by the U.K. government states, “We will execute the legislative process to create a preferential duty-free quota for US beef of 13,000 metric tonnes (MT) per calendar year.” Similar to the above agreements, at this point this is a voluntary and mutual decision, rather than a binding legal commitment.
The E.U.
On July 27, 2025, President Trump announced a new “Framework Agreement” with the E.U.. The Framework Agreement stipulates that the E.U. provide preferential market access for U.S. agricultural goods including tree nuts, dairy products, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, processed foods, planting seeds, soybean oil, and pork and bison meat. Like the agreement with the U.K., this trade deal states that the E.U. and U.S. “commit to work together to address non-tariff barriers affecting trade in food and agricultural products” which includes “streamlining requirements for sanitary certificates for pork and dairy products.” In a Joint Statement between the U.S. and the E.U., the Framework Agreement is referred to as “a first step in a process that can be further expanded over time to cover additional areas and continue to improve market access and increase their trade and investment relationship.”
Malaysia
On October 26, 2025, the U.S. and Malaysia executed the “Agreement on Reciprocal Trade.” According to a fact sheet published by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Malaysia has committed to provide significant preferential market access for U.S. agricultural products. This includes dairy, horticultural products, poultry, pork, rice, and fuel ethanol. Malaysia has also committed to address “non-tariff” barriers to U.S. agricultural exports. To accomplish this, Malaysia has pledged to: (1) recognize the U.S. food safety system for U.S. meat, poultry, and dairy products; (2) streamline halal certification of U.S. food and agricultural products; (3) open market access for U.S. sorghum; and (4) adopt regionalization approaches to facilitate U.S. exports of pork and poultry. Malaysia has confirmed these commitments via a Joint Statement between the U.S. and Malaysia. According to that joint statement, the two nations will “undertake domestic formalities in advance of the Agreement entering into force.” The agreement is additionally confirmed in a post by the National Trade Promotion Agency of Malaysia, which claims the agreement “strengthens regulatory certainty and supply-chain resilience through deeper cooperation in trade facilitation.”
Cambodia
On the same day that the Malaysia agreement was formalized, a new trade agreement with Cambodia was also announced. Under this agreement, Cambodia has agreed to eliminate tariffs on all U.S. food and agricultural product imports. Further, the agreement contains language indicating Cambodia’s intent to promote the importation of U.S. agricultural products. Specifically, Cambodia says it will recognize U.S. regulatory oversight, U.S. sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and accept certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities for food and agricultural products. U.S. sanitary and phytosanitary measures are a set of testing and inspection methods used to ensure the safety of agricultural products. This language in the trade agreement indicates that when importing U.S. agricultural products, Cambodia will defer to safety determinations already made by U.S. regulatory agencies. This, in theory, should reduce non-tariff barriers to trade between the U.S. and Cambodia. While this agreement is not yet finalized, the two countries have committed to “undertake domestic formalities” to make it so.
Ongoing Negotiations
The negotiations discussed in this section are even more nebulous, as they are merely attempts to negotiate the terms of a potential agreement. However, they are still an indication that the following countries are at least at the negotiating table with the U.S.
Indonesia and the U.S. are still negotiating details of a trade deal that was first discussed in a joint statement issued on July 22, 2025. Per the joint statement, Indonesia would eliminate “approximately 99 percent” of tariff barriers currently placed on a “full range” of imported U.S. food and agricultural products. The proposed agreement also stipulates that the U.S. and Indonesia will cooperate to exempt U.S. food and agricultural products from all import licensing regimes, provide Fresh Food of Plant Origin designation for all applicable U.S. plant products, and to recognize listing of all U.S. meat, poultry, and dairy facilities. The joint statement provides that Indonesia will also accept certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities.
Further, the U.S. and Vietnam have announced a framework for a trade agreement, but are still in the process of finalizing details of a more comprehensive agreement. The framework states that Vietnam will provide preferential market access for “substantially all” U.S. agricultural exports to Vietnam.
On October 26, 2025, the White House posted a joint statement discussing an agreed-upon framework for a new trade deal between the U.S. and Thailand. The framework states that Thailand will eliminate tariff barriers on “approximately 99 percent of goods” covering a full range of U.S. food and agricultural products. Similar to other agreements, the U.S. and Thailand trade deal would require Thailand to accept safety certifications of food and agricultural products issued by U.S. regulatory authorities. This joint statement also “takes note” of “the forthcoming commercial deals between U.S. and Thai companies” for the purchase of U.S. feed corn, soybean meal, and dried distiller grains with solubles at an estimated 2.6 billion dollars per year.
Finally, on November 14, 2025, the White House published a fact sheet outlining the framework for new U.S. trade deals with Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Negotiations are ongoing, but a recently published press release indicates that Switzerland and Liechtenstein have in fact signed a “non-binding memorandum of understanding” with the U.S. At this time, only the “non-binding memorandum of understanding” has been signed, so the specific details of the agreement have not been finalized and may be subject to change. Per the fact sheet, this new trade deal will “lock in the largest expansion ever of U.S. exporter access to Swiss markets, creating new opportunities for U.S. manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and other producers.” To accomplish this expansion, Switzerland and Liechtenstein will remove “a range of tariffs” on U.S. agriculture products including fresh and dried nuts, fish and seafood, and fruits. Additionally, Switzerland will establish tariff rate quotas for American poultry, beef, and bison. Finally, the fact sheet discusses Switzerland and Liechtenstein’s intent to address non-tariff barriers which have historically prevented certain U.S. goods from being imported. To remove these barriers, the nations will address “restrictive measures” on U.S. poultry and attempt to streamline requirements for U.S. dairy products.
Conclusion
Trade relationships between countries are complicated. Until binding agreements are reached, negotiations may continue. While more time will be needed to determine the ultimate impact, the language recognizes the importance of international trade to U.S. agriculture and indicates an intent to improve exports of U.S. agricultural products.
To learn more about the recent Supreme Court case challenging President Trump’s tariffs enacted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, click here.