US agricultural exports to China fell by 53% in first half of year

Agriculture has become a major point of contention between China and the United States as the superpowers are locked in a tariff war started by President Donald Trump. Beijing’s ambassador to Washington said it is U.S. protectionism that is undermining agricultural cooperation with China, Reuters reported.

Speaking at a soybean industry event in Washington on Friday, diplomat Xie Feng said U.S. agricultural exports to China fell 53% in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2024, with soybean exports down 51%.

“American farmers, like their Chinese counterparts, are hardworking and humble,” Xie said. “Agriculture should not be hijacked by politics, and farmers should not pay the price of a trade war.”

The ambassador noted that agriculture is a promising area of ​​cooperation and “a pillar of bilateral relations.” China has a comparative advantage in labor-intensive production, while the U.S. excels in land-intensive, high-volume commodities thanks to mechanized, large-scale production.

Xie also dismissed U.S. concerns about food security, saying Chinese investors own less than 0.03% of U.S. farmland and calling U.S. restrictions on Chinese nationals buying and owning land “political manipulation.”

Analysts have previously concluded that U.S. soybean exporters risk permanently missing out on billions of dollars in sales to China this year as trade talks drag on and Chinese buyers order large quantities from Brazil during the key U.S. marketing season.

Tags: USA, China, corn, soybean