Private exporters sold 260,000 tonnes of soyabeans to China for delivery during the 2019/20 marketing year, the US Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday, the third straight day the government has confirmed a deal with the world's largest buyer of the oilseed. Since Friday morning, USDA has announced deals with China totaling 720,000 tonnes of soyabeans as negotiators ready for trade talks aimed at settling the 14-month trade fight between the world's two largest economies.

The United States and China have both made conciliatory gestures ahead of negotiations to end the trade war between the two countries, with China renewing purchases of US farm goods and US President Donald Trump delaying a tariff increase on certain Chinese goods. The sales have been expected, as two traders with knowledge of the deal said last week that China had purchased more than more than 600,000 tonnes of US soyabeans. Deputy-level US-China trade talks are scheduled to start in Washington on Thursday, the US Trade Representative's office said, paving the way for high-level talks in October.

Copyright Reuters, 2019