More than half of US soybean exports are now subject to a 44% duty

On April 2, the White House announced sweeping new tariffs on more than 50 countries, including a cumulative 54% levy imposed on Chinese goods since President Donald Trump took office in January.

Two days later, China responded with its own tariff hike, imposing an additional 34% levy on US goods in addition to the 10-15% tariffs Beijing had previously added on some products, from wheat (15%) to soybeans (10%). This means that U.S. soybean exports to China will be subject to a cumulative 44% tariff starting April 10. The new US tariffs on Chinese goods will come into effect on April 9, World Grain reports. According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, in 2024, more than half of the US soybeans were shipped to China by value.

In its report on prospective crops dated March 31, the USDA determined that in 2025, the US farmers plan to plant 83.5 mln acres of soybeans, which is about 4.1% less than the area planted in the previous year. And analysts agree that China will be almost exclusively focused on Brazil in its purchases over the next few months.

China is the world’s largest buyer of agricultural products and the largest importer of soybeans. Brazil is the leading supplier of soybeans, increasingly gaining market share from the second-ranked United States since Trump initiated a tariff exchange with China during his first term.

Of the top 10 destinations for U.S. soybean exports last year, which accounted for $22.6 billion in sales, only Mexico ($2.3 billion) avoided the escalation of the trade war as part of the White House’s April 2 announcement, putting 90% of U.S. agricultural exports at risk of possible retaliation. Soybean sales to Mexico are currently exempt from tariffs.

China’s massive increase in tariffs on U.S. goods will also hit other agricultural trade. Among other things, it will affect sorghum, dairy products, wheat, corn, poultry, and meat. More than $15.7 billion of US exports now face tariffs ranging from 44% to 49%, effective April 10.

Here are some of the top categories of US exports to China last year:

Soybeans

• China Export Rankings: 1st place
• Value: 12.84 billion USD
• New tariff rate: 44%

Sorghum

• China’s export ranking: 1st place
• Value: USD 1 bn
• New tariff rate: 44%

Wheat

• China’s export ranking: 4th place
• Value: 482 million USD
• New tariff rate: 49%

Corn

• China’s export ranking: 8th place
• Value: 328 million USD
• New tariff rate: 49%

Tags: China, soybean, USA