China will resume purchasing soybeans from the U.S. after the Asian nation had been boycotting doing so for months.
Ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, the Trump administration announced that China had bought three U.S. soybean cargoes, according to Reuters. China’s refusal to buy soybeans has left U.S. farmers ailing since the summer. China last purchased soybeans in May, costing farmers billions in lost revenue.
After his meeting with Xi, Trump mentioned that China would resume buying U.S. soybeans. He emphasized that the Asian superpower would buy “large, tremendous amounts of soybeans and other farm products” while speaking to the media aboard Air Force One on his return to the U.S.
During the country’s boycott, China increased its shipments of soybeans from South American countries. Thursday’s purchase was for 180,000 metric tons of soybeans to be delivered to China in December and January. It was welcomed news touted by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in a post on X.
“Today’s purchase by China of multiple ships of American soybeans signals @POTUS’ strong dealmaking and a positive step forward for our farmers,” said Rollins. “This purchase, coming directly ahead of the Trump-Xi talks, shows that America means business and that we will restore balance, give U.S. producers the opportunities they’ve earned, and send a message that when America leads in agriculture, the world listens.”
“This is a great start as we continue to build a system where American agriculture thrives and competes on fair terms,” she added.
SOYBEAN FARMERS HOPE TRUMP CAN PULL OFF ELEVENTH-HOUR DEAL WITH CHINA
U.S. soybean farmers have endured a rough year because of China’s reluctance to buy. After achieving a record of $18 billion worth of soybean exports to China in 2022, revenues fell drastically between January and July 2025, with only a reported $2.4 billion in soybean shipments to China, according to Politico.
Reuters reported that Chicago soybean futures dropped 1% after the Trump-Xi summit. The decrease was supposedly due to the lack of “concrete details” regarding China’s purchase of U.S. soybeans.