China, the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans, is once again placing orders after a trade agreement ended the country’s purchasing freeze last fall, reports Mississippi Today. However, USDA data shows there’s a long way to go before China’s purchases reach pre-trade war levels. Roughly 40 percent of U.S. soybeans are exported, and in recent years, around half of exported beans went to China. China stopped purchasing U.S. soybeans in 2025 during tariff negotiations with the Trump administration. They leaned instead on soybeans from South America. Bloomberg reports that the White House said China has agreed to buy at least $17 billion of agricultural products, in addition to at least 25 million tons of soybeans each year through 2028, after the summit between President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping. Beijing hasn’t confirmed any of those numbers. Soybean futures in Chicago have strengthened in recent days on expectations of stronger Chinese demand. Traders continue to watch for any additional policy signals before an expected meeting between Trump and Xi later this year.
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