Chinese customers continue to purchase American soybeans. According to three traders who spoke to Reuters on Tuesday, China’s state-owned grain management group, the China Grain Reserves Corporation (Sinograin), bought 10 ships of American soybeans this week.
Last year, due to the US-China trade war, the Chinese Communist Party had temporarily halted soybean purchases from the US, which incited displeasure from US President Trump. In late October last year, Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held trade talks in South Korea and reached a procurement consensus.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent subsequently stated that China agreed to purchase 12 million metric tons of American soybeans by the end of February 2026, with an annual purchase of 25 million metric tons for the next three years.
Following the procurement agreement, American soybeans began to be exported to China. Traders informed Reuters on Tuesday that the latest batch of soybeans purchased by Sinograin totaled approximately 600,000 metric tons, which will be shipped from March to May. This brings China’s total soybean purchases from the US to nearly 10 million metric tons, over 80% of the previously mentioned target of 12 million metric tons by Bessent.
In recent weeks, Chinese soybean purchases have supported Chicago soybean prices, helping the market end 2025 on a positive note. With Beijing and Washington’s relationship improving, China resuming soybean imports from the US has mitigated most losses incurred during the trade war.
On Tuesday, Chicago soybean prices briefly rose by 0.1% to $10.62 per bushel.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated on Fox’s “The Sunday Briefing” on December 7th last year that the US continues to monitor China’s fulfillment of trade commitments.
“All the recent agreements we’ve reached with China are very clear, and we can easily monitor them,” he said.
American farmers are supporters of Trump and one of the primary targets for retaliation from China amid the US-China trade war. Earlier last month, Trump announced a $12 billion aid package for American farmers. The US Department of Agriculture subsequently disclosed that eligible farmers would receive a $11 billion one-time subsidy through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, with the remaining $1 billion reserved for specialty crops and the sugar industry.