US protectionism undermines agricultural cooperation with China, says Beijing ambassador.

China's ambassador to the US, Xie Feng, has criticized US protectionism as a threat to agricultural cooperation between the two countries. US protectionism has resulted in a 53% decline in US agricultural exports to China in the first half of the year, with a 51% decline in soybeans. Xie urged that farmers should not bear the price of the trade war and called for increased cooperation in the agricultural sector.

China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, has criticized the U.S. for its protectionist policies, asserting that they are undermining agricultural cooperation between the two countries. In a speech delivered at a soybean industry event in Washington, Xie warned that farmers from both nations should not bear the brunt of the ongoing trade war.

The U.S. and China have been locked in a tariff war since 2018, with agriculture emerging as a major point of contention. In response to U.S. tariffs, China imposed levies of up to 15% on $21 billion worth of American agricultural and food products in March. This retaliatory action has significantly impacted U.S. agricultural exports to China. According to Xie, U.S. agricultural exports to China fell by 53% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with a 51% decline specifically in soybeans [1].

Xie emphasized that agriculture should not be hijacked by political tensions and that farmers should not be made to pay the price of the trade war. He highlighted that agriculture is a promising area of cooperation and a "pillar of bilateral relations" between the U.S. and China. China has a comparative advantage in labor-intensive products, while the U.S. excels in land-intensive bulk commodities through mechanized, large-scale production [2].

The envoy dismissed U.S. concerns about Chinese ownership of American farmland, stating that Chinese investors hold less than 0.03% of U.S. agricultural land. Xie characterized the U.S. restrictions on foreign farmland purchases as "political manipulation" [3].

The trade war has also led to a significant shift in soybean imports from the U.S. to Brazil. Historically, China was the primary buyer of U.S. soybeans, accounting for an average of 28% of U.S. soybean exports in the years preceding the trade war. However, due to the retaliatory tariffs and China's diversification efforts, U.S. soybean exports to China have significantly declined. In 2023/24, only 22% of U.S. soybean production was shipped to China, a nine-point drop from pre-trade war levels [4].

Xie's speech underscores the need for increased cooperation in the agricultural sector and highlights the potential consequences of protectionist policies on both U.S. and Chinese farmers. As trade talks continue, U.S. soybean exporters risk missing out on billions of dollars worth of sales to China, with buyers in the top oilseed importer locking in cargoes from Brazil for shipment during the key U.S. marketing season [1].

References:
[1] https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/china-says-rampant-us-protectionism-073111609.html
[2] https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-says-rampant-us-protectionism-073111849.html
[3] https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322959/chinese-ownership-us-farmland-no-threat-american-security-envoy-says
[4] https://soygrowers.com/news-releases/soybeans-without-a-buyer-the-export-gap-hurting-u-s-farms/