US called soybeans China’s “economic weapon”

White House trade and manufacturing adviser Peter Navarro said that American farmers’ dependence on soybean exports to China undermines U.S. trade sovereignty and poses national security risks. He wrote about this in a column for The Hill.

According to Navarro, when American farmers are critically dependent on a single foreign buyer, U.S. trade policy ceases to be independent and becomes vulnerable to external pressure. He emphasizes that no country has exploited this vulnerability as effectively as China, and no crop has been “weaponized” more heavily than American soybeans.

Navarro also criticizes the model of exporting raw materials. According to him, by sending soybeans abroad instead of processing them domestically, the United States hands over control of key resources for the production of meat, milk and eggs to foreign processors, and then is forced to buy these products at higher prices.

“This is not just inefficient — it is an economic and security defeat that is draining agriculture, exposing farmers to external pressures, and fueling rising and volatile food prices for American families,” Navarro said.

The article was publicly supported by Brooke Rollins, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. She wrote on X that Navarro’s column clearly shows how China is using soybean purchases as a tool to pressure the United States.

“Your piece in The Hill brilliantly demonstrates how China is weaponizing soybean purchases to coerce America. You are absolutely right — part of the answer is to increase domestic processing and demand for biofuels to turn this vulnerability into American strength,” Rollins wrote.

She also added that within the USDA’s programs, agricultural security is considered an element of national security.

As a reminder, in late October 2025, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant announced that China had agreed to purchase large volumes of American soybeans as part of new trade agreements between the countries. According to him, Beijing agreed to purchase 12 million tons of soybeans this season. In the future, according to the agreements, China will purchase at least 25 million tons of soybeans annually for the next three years.

Tags: China, soybean, USA