China replaces U.S. soybean imports with record Brazilian purchases
Photo: Unsplash.
China has effectively suspended soybean purchases from the United States between June and August 2025, following renewed tariff tensions under President Donald Trump, according to data from the American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents six million U.S. farmers.
The report shows that Chinese soybean imports from the U.S. fell by 80%, from 26.5 million tons in 2024 to only 5.8 million in 2025, reaching their lowest level since 2018. During the summer months, China did not buy a single cargo of U.S. soybeans, nor did it sign new contracts for next year’s harvest.
Meanwhile, Brazil exported over 77 million tons of soybeans to China during the same period, strengthening its position as Beijing’s top supplier. Argentina also capitalized on the situation after temporarily suspending export taxes, boosting sales that exceeded $7 billion.
For American farmers, the loss of the Chinese market is a severe setback. Beyond soybeans, U.S. exports of corn, wheat, and sorghum to China fell to zero in 2025, while pork and cotton sales remain historically low. The Chinese market had long served as a lifeline for U.S. agriculture; its sudden withdrawal now exposes deep vulnerabilities in the rural economy.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the total value of American agricultural exports to China will drop to $17 billion in 2025, down 30% from 2024 and more than 50% below 2022 levels. By 2026, the figure is expected to fall further, to just $9 billion, the lowest since 2007.
In response, the Trump administration is preparing a new financial aid package for rural producers, similar to the $22 billion support program introduced during the first trade war in 2019. “We will use tariff revenues to support our farmers,” Trump stated on Truth Social, while the Treasury considers emergency measures to curb the agricultural trade deficit.
Beyond tariffs, the crisis is worsened by rising logistics costs, exacerbated by the Mississippi River’s historically low water levels, and a decline in global commodity prices, squeezing profit margins. The USDA estimates that U.S. farm income will fall 2.5% in 2025, its lowest since 2007.
For China, however, the move is part of a long-term diversification strategy to ensure food security and reduce dependence on U.S. supplies. Since 2018, Beijing has steadily shifted away from American soy, corn, and wheat, expanding agricultural partnerships in Brazil and Argentina. By securing its supply through South America, China not only strengthens its position in global agri-trade but also undermines Washington’s leverage in one of its historically dominant markets.
* Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.
Main Source:
Envíos de soja de Brasil a China reemplazan compras de Pekín a EE UU – MercoPress
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