'Economically hostile act': Trump threatens China trade cuts after soybean snub
The accusation lands as China, once the top buyer of U.S. soybeans, has not booked a single purchase this season—sending prices into a tailspin and rattling farmers across the Midwest.
- Oct 15, 2025,
- Updated Oct 15, 2025 7:11 AM IST
President Donald Trump accused China on Tuesday of "purposefully" halting U.S. soybean purchases, calling the move an “economically hostile act” and threatening to cut trade ties over cooking oil and other goods.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Beijing is “causing difficulty for our Soybean Farmers” by deliberately avoiding American crops during harvest season. “We can easily produce Cooking Oil ourselves,” he said. “We don’t need to purchase it from China.”
The accusation lands as China, once the top buyer of U.S. soybeans, has not booked a single purchase this season—sending prices into a tailspin and rattling farmers across the Midwest. The halt resembles earlier tactics by Beijing, which used rare earth mineral exports as leverage during prior trade disputes.
The U.S., which exports roughly 61% of the world’s soybeans, recorded zero sales to China this harvest—down from $12.6 billion last year. Beijing’s pullback aligns with Trump’s renewed tariffs, intensifying a trade standoff that has pushed fertilizer and equipment costs higher for American farmers.
“US soybeans now are not that important to China,” said Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura Holdings. “That’s why Beijing can afford to use the import ban as a bargaining tool.”
Morey Hill, an Iowa grower, told the Wall Street Journal there’s “no incentive to sell right now.” Futures markets are sliding, and farmers are holding back, hoping for a breakthrough. “The soybean market might be a bloodbath,” Hill warned.
China is now stocking up from South America, importing 2 million tons from Argentina in September alone. With Brazil’s harvest expected by February, analysts fear U.S. exports could miss their peak window.
“I always thought I would farm till they threw dirt on top of me,” said Dean Buchholz, an aging farmer quitting after this season. “I can’t make it work.”
American Soybean Association president Caleb Ragland called the situation “overwhelming.” Without movement by December, key markets could vanish.
President Donald Trump accused China on Tuesday of "purposefully" halting U.S. soybean purchases, calling the move an “economically hostile act” and threatening to cut trade ties over cooking oil and other goods.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Beijing is “causing difficulty for our Soybean Farmers” by deliberately avoiding American crops during harvest season. “We can easily produce Cooking Oil ourselves,” he said. “We don’t need to purchase it from China.”
The accusation lands as China, once the top buyer of U.S. soybeans, has not booked a single purchase this season—sending prices into a tailspin and rattling farmers across the Midwest. The halt resembles earlier tactics by Beijing, which used rare earth mineral exports as leverage during prior trade disputes.
The U.S., which exports roughly 61% of the world’s soybeans, recorded zero sales to China this harvest—down from $12.6 billion last year. Beijing’s pullback aligns with Trump’s renewed tariffs, intensifying a trade standoff that has pushed fertilizer and equipment costs higher for American farmers.
“US soybeans now are not that important to China,” said Lu Ting, chief China economist at Nomura Holdings. “That’s why Beijing can afford to use the import ban as a bargaining tool.”
Morey Hill, an Iowa grower, told the Wall Street Journal there’s “no incentive to sell right now.” Futures markets are sliding, and farmers are holding back, hoping for a breakthrough. “The soybean market might be a bloodbath,” Hill warned.
China is now stocking up from South America, importing 2 million tons from Argentina in September alone. With Brazil’s harvest expected by February, analysts fear U.S. exports could miss their peak window.
“I always thought I would farm till they threw dirt on top of me,” said Dean Buchholz, an aging farmer quitting after this season. “I can’t make it work.”
American Soybean Association president Caleb Ragland called the situation “overwhelming.” Without movement by December, key markets could vanish.