Despite Trump’s Pleading, China Doesn’t Import U.S. Soybeans

China imported no soybeans from the U.S. for a second straight month in October, even as total imports surged to a record high on purchases from South America, with buyers aiming to avert supply disruptions amid trade tensions with Washington, Ella Cao and Lewis Jackson reported for Reuters.

China’s overall soybean imports hit 9.48 million MT in October, a record for the month. (Photo: Mlabar Wikimedia Commons) 

Data from China’s General Administration of Customs showed U.S. soybean imports in October fell to zero from 541,434 metric tons (MT) a year earlier.

The decline followed China’s imposition of steep tariffs on U.S. soybeans earlier in the year and the depletion of previously harvested U.S. supplies, or old-crop beans. China is the world’s biggest soybean importer.

In contrast, arrivals from Brazil last month jumped 28.8% year on year to 7.12 million MT, representing 75.1% of China’s total imports of the oilseed, customs data showed, while shipments from Argentina rose 15.4% to 1.57 million MT, making up one-sixth of the total.

China’s overall soybean imports hit 9.48 million MT in October, a record for the month.