China halts US soybean imports as trade tensions resurface

China halts US soybean imports as trade tensions resurface [https://invezz.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20250919_1659_Soybean-Trade-Tensions_simple_compose_01k5gvn2j7fybrgdac1nk5v2mr.png] China has not purchased any US soybeans at the start of the new export season, marking the first time since at least 1999 that no orders were booked in September. The absence of trade signals that Beijing is once again using agriculture as a bargaining tool in negotiations with Washington. Soybeans are central to China’s food security, yet despite being the world’s largest buyer, it has chosen to delay purchases. The move comes as President Xi Jinping prepares for talks with President Donald Trump amid disputes over semiconductors and rare earths, while US farmers brace for financial strain. US SOYBEAN EXPORTS FACE SHARP DECLINE Data from the US Department of Agriculture confirmed that as of 11 September, China had not booked a single cargo of soybeans, despite the marketing season beginning nearly two weeks earlier. Records dating back to 1999 show this is the first occurrence of zero purchases at the season’s start. In 2023, China imported around one-fifth of its soybeans from the US, worth more than $12 billion.…