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Soybeans

Soybeans
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Soybeans. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Kazakh Agriculture Vice-Minister Yermek Kenzhekhanuly and Liu Huanxin, head of China’s National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, agree to launch a joint grain-trading platform to bolster food security. Photo: gov.kz
China food security

How China and Kazakhstan plan to boost food security through trade

The agreement highlights Beijing’s push to rewire agricultural supply chains, as it seeks to reduce vulnerability in global markets.

2026 Xi-Trump summit

China to purchase at least US$17 billion of US agricultural goods, White House says

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

China, US agree to establish trade, investment councils after Xi-Trump summit

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Bought the farm? Details still fuzzy on scope of US-China agriculture deal

China granted five-year export licenses to 77 US beef facilities, while renewing expired licenses of 425 other plants for another five years.

Imported soybeans from Brazil are seen in a cargo vessel at a port in Yantai, in China’s eastern Shandong province. Photo: AFP
China economy

Outside In | Prepare for ‘China shock 3.0’ to the global food economy

Imagine China applying the same industry policy playbook for electric cars, solar panels and AI to agriculture and food self-sufficiency.

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US-China trade war

US-China trade talks: what to expect as senior officials meet in Paris

Both sides have short-term incentives to maintain their ‘trade truce’ so they can focus on dealing with domestic issues, analysts say.

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US-China trade war

Trump’s tariff wars reshaped US-China trade – at what cost to American firms?

US exporters lost tens of billions of US dollars in sales to China in 2025, economist says.

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US goods exports to China fell significantly in 2025, a victim of the trade war launched in April by US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters
China food security

Explaining China’s 2026 rural blueprint

SCMP Plus annotates the No 1 document released by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and State Council setting out key rural policies for the year.

US-China relations

As Bessent tips next US-China trade talks, analysts see Trump-Xi meeting prep

Treasury Secretary Bessent confirms preparations for high-level dialogue, with analysts expecting a focus on specific transactional wins over a relationship reset.

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China consumption

China failed to hit 2025 soybean meal dependence target. US deal makes it harder

Beijing sees soybeans as the agricultural industry’s biggest vulnerability, while plans to cut their use in animal feed have little success.

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Austin Rohlfing harvests soybeans on his family’s field in Missouri. China is putting strategies in place to reduce its reliance on soybean in animal feed as 80 per cent is sourced from overseas, mostly the US and Brazil. Photo: AP
China food security

China signals strong soybean imports – what does it mean for food security?

Beijing also vows broader agricultural opening while safeguarding domestic production and farmers.

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China has committed to buying at least 25 million tonnes of US soybeans annually through 2028, according to Washington. Photo: Reuters
US-China trade war

Trump sells tariffs as farmers’ win in Iowa, but many aren’t buying it

As US president courts rural voters before midterms, growers fear Beijing may retaliate against Trump policies by curbing purchases again.

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US-China relations

Bessent cites trade progress after meeting China’s He Lifeng in Davos

US Treasury chief says rare earths are flowing and China is buying soybeans as talks move towards an April Trump-Xi meeting.

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US-China relations

China buys two-thirds of pledged US soybeans as 2025 closes

Beijing has moved to reduce tariffs on the crop and lifted import bans on three US exporters after talks between Xi and Trump.

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A combine harvests a soybean field in Tracy, Minnesota, in October. Photo: TNS
China food security

Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

The two countries remain top suppliers, but efforts to promote self-sufficiency are set to reduce reliance on imports.

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Soybeans are loaded into a truck in Dwight, Illinois, in August. Photo: Getty Images
Scott Bessent

Trump’s Treasury Secretary Bessent says he has divested his soybean farm

Move comes after a US ethics watchdog said that Bessent had not fully complied with his pledge to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

US-China relations

Soybean pain, Xi-Trump talks, ICE death, Hasan Piker: 7 US-China relations reads

From a US influencer’s China controversy to trade war updates, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in November 2025.

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China food security

‘Impossible to achieve’: why China can’t grow enough soybeans to feed itself

The shift from soybean exporter to world’s top buyer has reshaped global markets and forced Beijing to confront new security risks.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

US soybean futures rebound on signs China is ramping up purchases

Prices in Chicago rose as much as 3.2 per cent on Monday, a 17-month high, after Trump said China is in the process of buying soybeans.

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US-China relations

Opinion | In ‘soybean diplomacy’ with the US, China now holds the remote control

China, no longer reliant on US soybeans, has leverage: resuming purchases to calm tensions or cutting them when relations fray.

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US-China trade war

China signals soybean demand to spark ‘many deals’ with US – if prices are right

American farmers optimistic on visit to Shanghai, while commerce ministry official says market principles to guide Chinese purchases.

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Travis Hutchison, a soybean farmer, unloads his cargo from his family’s truck at a local grain dealer in Queen Anne, Maryland, United States, on October 10. Photo: AFP
China trade

Brazil-China trade heats up amid investment surge, export opportunities

Brazilian firms eye China expansion as Chinese investments are rapidly growing in the South American nation.

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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva appears at last month’s opening of a BYD vehicle assembly line in Brazil. Photo: handout
China-Latin America relations

Brazil shrugs off US-China soybean deal as seasonal trade

Farmers say Beijing’s renewed US buys won’t upend Brazil’s exports, but tight credit and dry weather cloud outlook.

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US-China trade war

China’s US soybean buys bring relief to farmers, but permanent deal elusive

While the Xi-Trump talks helped to end the soybean standstill, analysts said agriculture will remain one of many points of contention.

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US-China trade war

‘Positive step’: cautious relief as China resumes US soybean purchases

Farmers call the development ‘encouraging,’ but hope for lasting truce ahead of Xi-Trump talks.

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A soybean field in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo: AP
SCMP Highlights

US soybean farmers’ plea; death of leading AI scientist: SCMP daily highlights

From US farmers urging Trump to tone down rhetoric to Beijing denouncing UK’s sanctions on 11 companies, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

A combine harvester brings in soybeans on October 14 in Marion, Kentucky. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
US-China trade war

‘Partnership, not pressure’, US soybean farmers urge Trump before Xi talks

US farmers say Trump administration must tone down name-calling and aggressive tactics if they are to secure a lasting soy deal with China.

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My Take

My Take | A moral case for China to stop buying American soybeans permanently

Apart from persistently high state subsidies, labour exploitation, human trafficking and crime cartels also plague US agriculture and are reasons enough for Beijing to sanction the industry.

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