Agriculture, Meat, Grains, Oilseeds
May 13, 2026
INFOGRAPHIC: Tariffs curb China’s US agriculture buying; markets eye Trump-Xi talks
By Sayona anna John and Sampad Nandy
Editor:
HIGHLIGHTS
US farm, food exports to China fall sharply in 2025
China’s 10% duty continues to constrain imports
Markets await policy signals on soybean purchase commitments
China, a major buyer of US agricultural products, notably reduced purchases of soybeans and major proteins amid the tariff dispute, while market participants now focus on the May 14-15 meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping for potential policy signals.
In 2025, China's imports of US soybeans and pork fell 24% year over year and 21% year over year, respectively, while beef imports declined 59% year over year and chicken imports fell 7% year over year. US corn shipments to China also declined in 2025.
China currently levies an additional 10% import duty on US goods, introduced in retaliation to Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs announced in April. The levy continues to weigh on Chinese imports of US farm and food commodities.
S&P Global Energy CERA analysts do not expect announcements on soybean sales for the marketing year 2025-26 (September-August). However, they anticipate the meeting could have implications for China's soybean purchase commitments for MY 2026-27.
