US-China trade truce deadline looms, Trump calls soybean imports

The suspension of U.S.-China tariffs is about to expire, and President Donald Trump has yet to give final approval for an extension. He is calling on China to quadruple its soybean imports from the United States in order to narrow its trade surplus with America.

“Our great farmers produce the most robust soybeans. I hope China will quickly quadruple its soybean orders. This is also a way of substantially reducing China’s trade deficit with the USA,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Since the start of U.S.-China Trade War 2.0, American farmers have feared becoming the biggest casualties of escalating tensions. When Trump announced new tariffs, China was the only country to respond with a full counterattack—targeting U.S. soybeans, beef, corn, and other agricultural products. Analysts believe these measures were intended to hurt Trump’s rural support base.

This year, U.S. soybeans have faced an additional 20% tariff on top of the original rate. An employee at a major U.S. agricultural and commodity trading company commented: “At this tariff level, China will almost stop purchasing U.S. soybeans. If the tariff issue is not resolved by autumn, it will be very difficult for both us and farmers.” According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, China’s imports of U.S. soybeans in the first half of 2025 fell 39% year-on-year.

China’s peak soybean import season from the U.S. usually comes in November, December, and January. The tariff situation will likely need to be settled before then.

If Washington and Beijing fail to reach an agreement in trade negotiations, both sides could reimpose tariffs, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning that the severity could be comparable to an embargo.