China has stopped purchasing soybeans and corn from the U.S. since mid-January, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) cited by Nikkei Asia. This marks a significant shift in agricultural trade between the two nations.
The U.S., while no longer China’s biggest soybean supplier, sent about half of its soybean exports to China last year. In 2024, China imported over 27 million tonnes of soybeans from the U.S., worth $12.8 billion, according to USDA figures.
With the halt in U.S. imports, China has turned to Brazil to meet its soybean demand. Officials from the Brazilian Soybean Producers Association reported that China signed contracts for 2.4 million tonnes of Brazilian soybeans earlier this month. They described it as “an unusually large contract” that accounts for one-third of China’s typical monthly consumption.
Jim Sutter, CEO of the U.S. Soybean Export Council, expressed concern over the development. In a recent interview, he said, “China is a market that we don’t want to lose.”
The shift comes amid ongoing trade tensions between China and the U.S., which have led to tariffs impacting various sectors. The agricultural industry, in particular, has felt the effects, with farmers and exporters facing uncertainty in international markets.
