China imported no soybeans from the United States for the second consecutive month in October, even as its overall soybean imports rose to a monthly record driven by massive purchases from South America.
Data released Thursday by the General Administration of Customs showed U.S. soybean imports dropped to zero, compared to 541,434 metric tons in the same month last year. The decline follows China’s earlier imposition of steep tariffs on American soybeans, alongside the exhaustion of old-crop U.S. supplies.
In contrast, imports from Brazil jumped 28.8% year-on-year to 7.12 million tons, accounting for 75.1% of China’s total soybean inflow in October.
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Shipments from Argentina also increased 15.4% to 1.57 million tons, representing roughly one-sixth of monthly imports.
China’s total soybean purchases for October reached 9.48 million metric tons, the highest ever recorded for that month.
From January to October, China imported 70.81 million tons of soybeans from Brazil (up 4.5%) and 4.46 million tons from Argentina (up 23.9%). Despite the recent monthly drop, earlier heavy buying pushed China’s year-to-date imports of U.S. soybeans to 16.82 million tons, an 11.5% increase.
After months of scaling back U.S. purchases amid trade tensions with Washington, China began increasing bookings following late-October talks between U.S. and Chinese leaders in South Korea.
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State-owned grain buyer COFCO has since led fresh buying, securing more than 1 million tons of American soybeans, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Market watchers are now waiting to see if China will make additional large purchases to meet the 12-million-ton year-end target announced by the White House, a figure Beijing has yet to formally confirm.
Esther Ososanya is an investigative journalist with Pinnacle Daily, reporting across health, business, environment, metro, Fct and crime. Known for her bold, empathetic storytelling, she uncovers hidden truths, challenges broken systems, and gives voice to overlooked Nigerians. Her work drives national conversations and demands accountability one powerful story at a time.
