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Soybeans

Soybeans
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Soybeans. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A combine harvests a soybean field in Tracy, Minnesota, in October. Photo: TNS
US-China relations

China buys two-thirds of pledged US soybeans as 2025 closes

Beijing has moved to reduce tariffs on the crop and lifted import bans on three US exporters after talks between Xi and Trump.

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China food security

Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

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Scott Bessent

Trump’s Treasury Secretary Bessent says he has divested his soybean farm

US-China relations

Soybean pain, Xi-Trump talks, ICE death, Hasan Piker: 7 US-China relations reads

From a US influencer’s China controversy to trade war updates, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in November 2025.

A crop scout collects soybean samples in the Midwestern US in August. American soybean farmers have been struggling for years due to various factors, but US President Donald Trump’s trade war has pushed many to breaking point. Photo: Reuters
China food security

‘Impossible to achieve’: why China can’t grow enough soybeans to feed itself

The shift from soybean exporter to world’s top buyer has reshaped global markets and forced Beijing to confront new security risks.

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US-China relations

US soybean futures rebound on signs China is ramping up purchases

Prices in Chicago rose as much as 3.2 per cent on Monday, a 17-month high, after Trump said China is in the process of buying soybeans.

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US-China relations

Opinion | In ‘soybean diplomacy’ with the US, China now holds the remote control

China, no longer reliant on US soybeans, has leverage: resuming purchases to calm tensions or cutting them when relations fray.

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Soybeans are harvested on the Warpup Farm in Warren, Indiana, on September 17. Photo: AP
US-China trade war

China signals soybean demand to spark ‘many deals’ with US – if prices are right

American farmers optimistic on visit to Shanghai, while commerce ministry official says market principles to guide Chinese purchases.

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China trade

Brazil-China trade heats up amid investment surge, export opportunities

Brazilian firms eye China expansion as Chinese investments are rapidly growing in the South American nation.

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China-Latin America relations

Brazil shrugs off US-China soybean deal as seasonal trade

Farmers say Beijing’s renewed US buys won’t upend Brazil’s exports, but tight credit and dry weather cloud outlook.

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Brazil sends roughly three-quarters of its soybean exports to China, worth nearly US$44 billion last year. Photo: AP
US-China trade war

China’s US soybean buys bring relief to farmers, but permanent deal elusive

While the Xi-Trump talks helped to end the soybean standstill, analysts said agriculture will remain one of many points of contention.

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A worker sorts imported soybeans at a processing facility in Binzhou, China, on March 6. Photo: Getty Images
US-China trade war

‘Positive step’: cautious relief as China resumes US soybean purchases

Farmers call the development ‘encouraging,’ but hope for lasting truce ahead of Xi-Trump talks.

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SCMP Highlights

US soybean farmers’ plea; death of leading AI scientist: SCMP daily highlights

From US farmers urging Trump to tone down rhetoric to Beijing denouncing UK’s sanctions on 11 companies, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

US-China trade war

‘Partnership, not pressure’, US soybean farmers urge Trump before Xi talks

US farmers say Trump administration must tone down name-calling and aggressive tactics if they are to secure a lasting soy deal with China.

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A crop scout collects soybean samples on a Midwest farm. File photo: Reuters
My Take

My Take | A moral case for China to stop buying American soybeans permanently

Apart from persistently high state subsidies, labour exploitation, human trafficking and crime cartels also plague US agriculture and are reasons enough for Beijing to sanction the industry.

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Soybeans are harvested on the Warpup Farm in Indiana, USA on September 17, 2025. Photo: AP
United States

Trump and Modi’s tariff tango: Russian oil, soybeans and a delayed deal

India and the US near a breakthrough on slashing Trump-era duties, but elections and egos could impede the long-awaited trade pact.

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US-China trade war

Video | China’s boycott of US soybeans

China made no soybean purchases from the US in September 2025 as it looked elsewhere for supplies, but American farmers continue to hope for a change of heart.

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US-China trade war

China’s soybean imports surge as orders to US hit zero and American farmers fret

Zero soybean purchases from the US in September as China’s supply diversification continues, while American farmers hold out hope for a trade deal.

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China imported no soybeans from the US in September. Photo: AP Photo
SCMP Highlights

Trump’s cooking oil embargo threat, ‘red gift bag’ arrest: SCMP daily highlights

From US president calling China ‘economically hostile’ to scholars on how trade war could help Beijing, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

US-China trade war

Trump threatens China with cooking oil embargo over soybean snub

Trump administration threatens ‘terminating business with China’ in retaliation for Beijing still refusing to buy soybeans from US farmers.

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US-China trade war

‘Make China buy’: US soybean farmers, tired of trade war ‘blows’, push Trump to act

The US government has promised support for the industry – but farmers still fear missing out on huge Chinese market.

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US farmer inspects one of his soybean fields in Warren, Indiana, on September 11. Photo: AP
US-China trade war

Trump threatens to halt Chinese imports – but counts on Xi to buy US soybeans

Although Trump has sounded certain about meeting Xi later this month, the Chinese government has not made any official announcement yet.

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US President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday. Photo: EPA
US-China trade war

Trump team presses unlikely buyers to snap up US soybeans

Since China stopped buying US soybeans, Donald Trump is pushing countries like India to boost purchases while weighing a multi-billion-dollar farm bailout.

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US-China trade war

Soybeans: China’s new bargaining chip in trade war with US?

Beijing seen holding a lot of cards in trade negotiations with Washington, while US treasury secretary says next round of talks should ‘show a pretty big breakthrough’.

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US-China trade war

For soybeans’ sake, cancel tariffs, China urges US as farmers grow desperate

The US should abandon its ‘unreasonable tariffs’, Ministry of Commerce says as a long-term trade agreement remains elusive after four rounds of negotiations.

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Farmers across the American Midwest have few to no buyers in a high-yield year for soybeans, mainly because China is buying from South America as a tariff war continues between Beijing and Washington. Photo: TNS
US-China trade war

China prepares for long US soybean stand-off with huge Brazilian imports

China logged another month of bumper soybean imports in August as companies boosted their stockpiles amid risks of a protracted trade war.

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A worker sorts imported soybeans at a soybean processing company in Binzhou, China. Beijing has logged record soybean imports in recent months as it prepares for a long trade stand-off with the United States. Photo: Getty Images
US-China trade war

No orders from China: US farmers, desperate for trade deal, walk ‘tightrope’

China, once the buyer of nearly one-third of US soybeans, has placed no orders this year.

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US-China relations

Exclusive | Trump’s China trip may hinge on jet and soybean deals, sources say

‘Significant progress’ made on plans since Beijing’s invitation to US leader for formal state visit, source says.

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