China purchased about 12 mln tons of US soybeans in three months, fulfilling its obligations

China has bought about 12 million tons of U.S. soybeans in the past three months, fulfilling a key commitment made by the Trump administration in November, Bloomberg reported.

China had been close to meeting its target for several days and has now contracted enough shipments to meet it, traders familiar with the supply said on condition of anonymity.

Before the trade talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, China had avoided buying U.S. agricultural products for months because of rising tariffs. However, Beijing returned to the market in late October, ahead of a long-awaited summit. The White House later announced that China had agreed to buy at least 12 million tons of U.S. soybeans in 2025, with the deadline later moved to February.

While China has not publicly confirmed these commitments, authorities have taken a number of measures to facilitate purchases, including lowering tariffs and lifting import restrictions on three U.S. suppliers.

The current volume reflects further contracts signed by state-owned companies in recent weeks, the sources said. USDA export data, which comes in late, as of Jan. 8, put China’s purchases at just over 8 million tonnes. Most of the shipments are scheduled to be shipped in the first quarter, with much of the soybeans going to China’s vast state reserves, traders said.

Much of the purchases were made by Sinograin, the state-owned operator responsible for managing strategic reserves. Beijing has also held several soybean auctions in recent weeks, suggesting that it is freeing up space for new imports.

The achievement of the stated target, while widely expected, is likely to boost traders and exporters’ confidence that China can meet the broader White House goal of buying at least 25 million tonnes of US soybeans annually by 2028.

However, it does not signal a fundamental shift in China’s purchasing policy. As part of its food security strategy, the country has been making significant efforts since the trade war of Trump’s first term to diversify its suppliers and reduce its reliance on US crops. Economic difficulties are also holding back demand, while top producer Brazil is on track for another record harvest.

China has mostly covered its needs through March. At the same time, it is actively booking new crop soybeans from Brazil for shipment in the months leading up to August, traders said.

“The key question going forward will be whether or not we can expect China to continue buying beyond this 12 million tonnes,” said Randy Place, senior grain markets analyst at Hightower Report.

Tags: China, soybean, USA