timelets

US President Donald Trump's demand that Beijing commit to big purchases [$50B] of American farm products has become a major sticking point in talks to end the Sino-US trade war, according to several people briefed on the negotiations.

US officials continue to push for that in talks, while Beijing is baulking at committing to a large figure and a specific time frame. Chinese buyers would like the discretion to buy based on market conditions.

"China does not want to buy a lot of products that people here don't need or to buy something at a time when it is not in demand," an official from a Chinese state-owned company explained.
...
Asked specifically about concerns that the administration's push for big agricultural buys contradicts the longer-standing US free trade message, a White House spokesman said: "The President has been clear that he wants real structural changes that yield actual, verifiable, and enforceable results, leading to fairer trade, more efficient markets, and increased prosperity for both countries."

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/in-us-china-talks-beijings-refusal-to-spell-out-farm-buys-is-big-sticking-point

American business and military "fairness principles" have become now a running joke in Asia.