SDPB posts a meaty (beany?) interview with Chinese Consul General Wang Baodong, who says South Dakota has made a lot of money trading with his People’s Republic:
According to data from the U.S.-China Business Council, South Dakota’s goods exports to China totaled approximately $844 million in 2024, accounting for 22% of the state’s total global goods exports. Of this amount, about $690 million came from oilseeds and grains, $66 million from meat products, and $30 million from medical equipment and supplies [Wang Baodong, in Jackson Dircks, “Q&A: Chinese Consulate in Chicago Says South Dakota, China Should Work Hand in Hand,” SDPB, 2026.09.04].
But that was in the “good old days” when America was a rational, reliable trade partner committed to stable global relations:
Our two countries used to enjoy “good old days” in agricultural cooperation. According to General Administration of Customs of China statistics, China’s imports of agricultural products from the U.S. reached a record $40.9 billion in 2022. Among this, soybean imports accounted for $17.8 billion—nearly half of the total—marking a historical peak. Even by USDA data, despite showing slightly lower figures, both total agricultural and soybean exports to China hit record highs that year.
Regrettably, those “good old days” came to an abrupt halt last year. As the U.S. initiated tariff and trade wars against China, China was forced to take countermeasures. Bilateral soybean trade grounded to a temporary halt, leaving American farmers as victims—an outcome China never wished to see. Fortunately, the heads-of-state meetings in Busan and Beijing recalibrated the direction of bilateral relations, bringing a key turning point that allowed soybean trade to recover. This experience proves that unilateralism and protectionism benefit no one, tariff and trade wars have no winners, and equality, respect, and mutual benefit represent the right way for our two countries to get along and conduct business [Baodong, in Dircks, 2026.09.04].
Baodong says we still need to turn the May Xi–Trump “consensus” into “concrete action”:
In my view, the most pressing task now for our two sides is to work together to translate the important consensus reached by the two Presidents into concrete actions, expand the cooperation list, shorten the negative list, and create a stable, fair, and predictable business environment for enterprises from both countries, so as to bring greater benefits to the people of China and the U.S. [Baodong, in Dircks, 2026.09.04]
The Chinese offer South Dakota cooperation and profit, while the current White House keeps thrashing our economic prospects.
Bendagate 2.0?