China’s soybean imports from the United States more than doubled in October compared to the same month last year, marking the seventh consecutive month of growth. This surge comes as buyers expedited shipments, anticipating that rising trade tensions could follow if Donald Trump were to return to the White House.
Trump’s victory in the upcoming U.S. presidential election is expected to reignite tensions between Washington and Beijing, with tariff threats made during his campaign prompting some Chinese importers to avoid U.S. soybeans starting in January.
According to data from China’s General Administration of Customs, the country imported 541,434 metric tons (MT) of U.S. soybeans in October, up from 228,253 tons a year ago.
Despite the increase in U.S. imports, the majority of China’s soybean shipments in October came from Brazil, which accounted for 8.09 million metric tons (MMT) of the total.
U.S. soybean arrivals have been on the rise since April, and China is on track for a record number of soybean imports this year due to a rush to stockpile American beans. By the end of October, total soybean imports had reached 89.94 MMT.
Imports from Argentina surged dramatically in October, rising to 1.36 MT from just 1,077 tons a year earlier.
Shipments from Brazil, China’s largest soybean supplier, increased by 15% to 5.53 MT in October compared to last year. Overall, total Brazilian soybean shipments for the January-October period rose by 13.6% year-on-year to 67.8 MMT, while imports from the U.S. declined by 13% to 15.1 MMT.
Looking ahead, China’s total soybean imports are expected to decrease to 98.8 MMT for the year ending September 2025, down from 109.4 MMT in the previous year, according to an executive from China National Cereals, Oils, and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO).
Source: The Hindustan Times
