Flags of the U.S. and China are placed ahead of a meeting between U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and China's Agriculture Minister Han Changfu at the Ministry of Agriculture in Beijing on June 30, 2017. Jason Lee | AFP | Getty Images

China said Tuesday it bought twice as many U.S. farm products in the first quarter than a year ago, in a sign the countries are following through with part of the phase one trade agreement despite the coronavirus pandemic. The Asian giant imported 35.56 billion yuan ($5.08 billion) worth of U.S. agricultural products in the first quarter, according to its customs agency. The volume of soybeans imported also doubled and that of pork increased more than six times, the agency said, while Chinese imports of cotton rose 43.5%. From a price perspective, China imported 21.88 billion yuan worth of soybeans, twice that of a year ago. Imports of pork were worth 3.04 billion yuan, an increase of 16 times. That of cotton was 1.59 billion yuan, a 17% increase.

The China-U.S. phase one trade agreement is gradually being implemented, China Customs spokesperson Li Kuiwen said Tuesday at a press conference, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. The world's two largest economies signed the agreement in January, temporarily resolving more than 18 months of escalating trade tensions. China agreed that over the next two years, it would buy at least $200 billion more in U.S. goods and services relative to the 2017 level. The projected purchases include at least $32 billion more in agricultural products, with an unspecified amount of soybeans. However, some have doubted whether China can ultimately fulfill such a high level of purchases. Many also worry that the coronavirus outbreak might hamper the ability of both countries to fulfill the trade agreement.

Global demand drops