China’s soybean imports from the United States more than doubled in October compared to the previous year, marking the seventh consecutive month of growth. This increase comes as Chinese buyers rush to secure shipments amid fears of renewed trade tensions if Donald Trump returns to the White House following his recent election victory.
According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China imported 541,434 metric tons of U.S. soybeans in October, up from 228,253 tons a year ago. Despite this surge, the majority of China’s soybean imports for the month—8.09 million metric tons—originated from Brazil.
Since April, U.S. soybean arrivals have been climbing, positioning China for a record import year as it stockpiles U.S. beans. For the January-October period, total soybean imports reached 89.94 million tons.
In addition to U.S. imports, Argentina’s shipments surged to 1.36 million tons in October, up from just 1,077 tons the previous year. Brazil’s exports increased by 15%, totaling 5.53 million tons for the month. Overall, Brazilian shipments from January to October rose 13.6% year-on-year to 67.8 million tons, while U.S. arrivals declined by 13% to 15.1 million metric tons.
Looking ahead, China’s soybean imports are projected to decrease to 98.8 million metric tons for the year ending September 2025, down from 109.4 million tons the previous year, according to an executive from the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation.