Trump Threatens Trade Action Over China’s Soybean Import Slowdown
Ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China are once again putting American soybean exports in the spotlight. In a recent post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump expressed frustration over China’s reduced purchases of U.S. soybeans, describing the move as economically aggressive.
“I believe that China purposefully not buying our soybeans, and causing difficulty for our Soybean Farmers, is an Economically Hostile Act. We are considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of Trade, as retribution. As an example, we can easily produce Cooking Oil ourselves, we don’t need to purchase it from China.”
President Trump’s strong words reflect mounting concern in U.S. agriculture circles, particularly among soybean farmers who have seen a drop in exports to China—a historically critical market.
Shortly after the statement, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins shared support for America’s farming community in a post on X (formerly Twitter):
“ALL HANDS ON DECK for our nation’s great soybean and other row crop farmers. So grateful, Sir.”
According to Reuters, the U.S. had become the top global importer of Chinese cooking oil in 2024, purchasing $1.1 billion worth—a record 1.27 million metric tons. However, the latest figures show a dramatic shift. Through August 2025, U.S. imports of Chinese cooking oil have fallen sharply to just 290,700 tons, signaling escalating trade tensions.
Trump’s remarks came after earlier optimism expressed by both President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who had conveyed confidence that trade relations with China would improve. The recent decline in soybean and cooking oil trade, however, suggests otherwise.
The President’s call for retaliatory action—particularly targeting cooking oil—could escalate the ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute, affecting a wide range of agricultural commodities and trade agreements.
With U.S. soybean exports vital to the rural economy and trade policy in flux, all eyes are on Washington and Beijing to see whether tensions will cool—or continue to rise.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.