The fact that China does not buy soybeans has become Trump's heart disease. He threatened that China must recover, otherwise trade with China would be interrupted.

On October 14, local time, Trump once again issued trade blackmail against China on the social media platform, claiming that China's "deliberate refusal to buy" American soybeans was an "economic hostility." He considered terminating some trade relations with China, including the import of edible oil.

Trump also said he would meet with the Chinese side at the end of this month to discuss China¡¯s buying of U.S. soybeans.

As is well known, China is a major buyer of U.S. soybeans, and U.S. soybean exports are facing significant challenges in 2025 with stagnant exports to China.

The American Soybean Association warned last week that China's 20% retaliatory tariff on U.S. soybeans has prompted China buyers to turn to other sources such as Brazil and Argentina, and American farmers have been shut out of the China market. "In the new harvest season, U.S. soybean sales to China will be zero."

Specific to exports to China, the situation is particularly severe. From January to August 2025, U.S. soybean exports to China were only 5.93 million tons, far below historical levels.

As of September 18, for the 2025/2026 marketing year, outstanding sales and cumulative exports to China were both 00,000 tons, compared with 6.5132 million tons and 299,100 tons respectively in the same period last year. As the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans, China has historically accounted for more than half of total exports, accounting for more than 50% in 2024, with imports of 27 million tons worth $12.8 billion.

But in 2025, China¡¯s purchases of U.S. soybeans fell 51 percent compared to the same period last year, especially not buying any goods from the U.S. autumn harvest in September.

This is why Trump hurried to panic and forced China to re-buy U.S. soybeans.

But China has its own strategic goals, we don¡¯t buy U.S. soybeans, and why should it be based on U.S. export needs rather than our own national interests and security?

China¡¯s reducing or stopping imports of U.S. soybeans is itself a countermeasure to U.S. tariffs.

This strategy stems from the escalation of the Sino-U.S. trade war in 2025: in April, the United States will raise import tariffs on China from 34% to 84%, and China will then impose retaliatory tariffs of 34% on US agricultural products such as soybeans.

China has stopped purchasing U.S. soybeans since the spring, directly responding to the Trump administration's actions. This is a necessary and necessary reciprocal countermeasure, with the purpose of protecting our national interests and exerting pressure on the United States.

From an economic leverage perspective, China¡¯s choice of soybeans as counter-targets is strategic.U.S. soybeans exports are heavily dependent on the Chinese market, reducing imports can directly impact U.S. midwestern farmers, causing political pressure and potentially forcing U.S. concessions in negotiations.

Another benefit is that China, as the world's largest soybean importer, has maintained stable supply by turning to Brazil and Argentina, other major agricultural countries.

This reflects the rationality of supply chain diversification, avoiding excessive reliance on a single supplier, while reducing the long-term risk of a trade war with the United States.

Under international trade rules, reciprocal countermeasures are a common practice, which is in line with the "proportionality principle" under the WTO framework. China did not initiate it on its own initiative, but responded to the first tariff of the United States, which helped China safeguard its sovereignty and economic autonomy.