US claims success after China suspends soybean imports from select Brazilian suppliers

The US government and President Donald Trump have actively capitalized on China’s recent decision to suspend soybean purchases from select Brazilian suppliers, presenting it as evidence of Beijing’s renewed shift toward American exporters. However, official data indicates that the volume of resumed Chinese purchases from the US remains modest. During an extended government briefing, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that China halted imports from Brazil due to “quality violations,” framing the move as a strategic win for the US farm sector.

The suspension affects only five Brazilian facilities, after a shipment bound for Beijing was found to contain wheat treated with pesticides. The companies impacted include two Cargill plants and one facility each operated by Louis Dreyfus Co., CHS Agronegocios, and 3Tentos Agroindustrial. Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture emphasized that this represents only a minimal share of more than 2,000 accredited exporters, and total soybean shipments to China are expected to exceed 100 million tonnes this year.

Despite Washington’s bold rhetoric, Brazil remains the dominant supplier of soybeans to the Chinese market. The US position weakened significantly back in 2018, when China imposed a 25% tariff in response to American trade barriers. After Trump’s return to the White House, tariff tensions escalated again, and China did not place a single order for US soybeans until October 2025 — allowing Brazil to solidify its lead.

A slight thaw followed a meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in Busan, where the White House announced an agreement for China to purchase 12 million tonnes of US soybeans by the end of 2025 and 25 million tonnes annually for the next three years. However, Beijing has not officially confirmed these figures, and the 13% import tariff on US soybeans remains in place. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, total US soybean exports this year may fall to 18.2 million tonnes — the lowest level since 2018.

In late November, USDA reported roughly 1 million tonnes of new Chinese orders, and this week it confirmed contracts for 10–12 cargoes of US soybeans worth about $300 million, with delivery scheduled for January. Even so, analysts note that current purchase levels remain far below pre–trade war volumes and are unlikely to signal a significant shift by China away from Brazilian suppliers and back toward the US.

Tags: USA, China, Brazil, soybean