Chinese Consul General Cites Trade War Disruption as China Buys 800,000 Tonnes of US Soybeans

Chinese Consul General in Chicago Wang Baodong said at the Soybean Connections conference on August 7 that the US trade war against China had disrupted soybean trade flows between the two countries and left American farmers bearing most of the cost. Unilateralism and protectionism serve no one's interests, and there are no winners in tariffs and trade wars, he said. Soybeans have become one of the most central trade issues between China and the United States. As the world's largest soybean consumer, China's purchases are being closely watched by global agricultural commodity markets, which are awaiting whether Beijing will deliver on its promised purchase volumes.

Chinese purchases of US soybeans have recovered since the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in May 2026. This week, China booked multiple soybean cargoes, with at least 13 orders placed on August 5 alone totalling roughly 800,000 tonnes. The White House has previously indicated that China has committed to buying at least 25 million tonnes of soybeans annually by 2028, with current purchases reaching about a quarter of that annual target. In addition, the Chinese government has agreed to purchase at least US$17 billion of additional US agricultural products each year.

Whitley, Administrator of the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, said at the same meeting that tariffs had indeed created challenges, but the goal of US trade policy was to provide producers with a balanced and fair competitive environment while addressing the trade deficit. Whitley said the soybean industry, together with China as a partner, could help resolve the agricultural trade deficit between the two countries, while acknowledging that the two sides had encountered obstacles in cooperation that needed to be overcome.