Soybean Photo: VCG
China imported 103.78 million tons of soybeans, up 6.9 percent year-on-year, in the first 11 months of 2025, data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed on Monday.
In November alone, China brought in 8.107 million tons of soybean, according to the GAC data.
A Chinese analyst said that the growth in soybean imports came as demand from China remained persistent and soybean suppliers such as Brazil ramped up supplies amid global trade uncertainty following the US' tariff moves.
Chinese companies have been ramping up purchases of soybeans as they navigate the impact of global trade uncertainties with a diversification strategy, Ma Wenfeng, a senior analyst at the Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultancy, told the Global Times on Monday, adding that this shift was not only the result of China's adjustment in its soybean industry chain but also a response to global market uncertainties.
China is the world's largest soybean importer. China imported an average of 61 percent of the world's available soybean supplies over the last five years and China has been the top buyer of US soybeans for years, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the American Soybean Association.
The GAC data on Monday did not include specific figures for imports from different countries. However, some foreign media outlets have claimed significant drop in US soybean exports to China this year, and recent shipments of US soybeans to China following bilateral economic and trade talks.
A Reuters' report on December 4, with the headline "More US soybean shipments to China due to load through mid-December," claimed that shipments of US crops to China are accelerating after a tense tariff war had stalled trade for months, with at least six bulk cargo vessels scheduled to load with soybeans at Gulf Coast terminals through mid-December.
There has been no official confirmation for such shipments made publically. Previously, on November 13, in response to a question on White House's claim that China has agreed to buy around 12 million tons of US soybeans in November and December, and to buy at least 25 million tons of US soybeans each year for the next three years, He Yadong, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, said that recently, the commerce ministry has released relevant information on the China-US economic and trade consultations in Kuala Lumpur, introducing the main outcomes and consensus reached during the consultations, which include agricultral trade.
"China is an important participant in global agricultural trade and will continue to uphold an attitude of openness and cooperation, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with global trading partners and jointly maintaining an open, stable and sustainable global trading system," He said.
Notably, Ren Hongbin, president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, led a Chinese business delegation on December 4, to meet Jim Sutter, CEO of the US Soybean Export Council, and other US agricultural leaders in Washington. They have discussed soybean trade, practical cooperation in agriculture, and the implementation of recent high-level consensus between the two countries.
Previously, Sutter said that China remains critical to the US soybean industry. "US soybean farmers are committed to the Chinese market for the long term, and I think they are relieved and pleased to see that the trade tensions between China and the US have eased," Sutter told the Global Times during the expo in Shanghai in November.
Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Monday that that China and the US have complementarity in agricultural trade, including in soybeans.
If the US can abide by the consensus reached by the two countries and promote the establishment of stable economic and trade relations, it would also be a good thing for US soybean farmers, Zhou said, adding that for Chinese soybean importers, there is indeed a need for diversified and stable soybean supply. Diversifying import sources is a necessary measure to ensure the stability of soybean imports, Zhou said.
Customs data showed that in 2024, China imported a total of 105 million tons of soybeans. Brazilian soybeans accounted for about 71 percent of imports, while US soybeans accounted for about 21 percent. Additionally, imports of Argentine soybeans reached 4.1 million tons, doubling from 2023.
Global Times
