China’s September US soybean imports rebound from zero a year earlier, data shows

China's soybean imports from the United States surged in September, reaching 360,878 metric tons for the first time in a year, according to the latest customs data. This marked a significant rebound from the zero imports recorded a year earlier. The increase was primarily attributed to a deal aimed at resolving last year's trade war, which enabled soybeans to resume flowing into Chinese ports.

Despite the rise, China's overall soybean imports in September fell short of its usual levels. The country, the world's largest soybean buyer, brought in a total of 11.88 million metric tons in September, a decline of 7.7% compared to the same month in the previous year. This downward trend was part of a larger decrease in imports throughout the January-September period, with US soybean imports dropping by 34% to 11.06 million tons.

In contrast, Brazil, China's second-largest soybean supplier, saw a modest rise in imports, up 3.4% to 65.84 million tons in September. The trend of increased imports from Brazil was consistent with China's strategy during the trade war period, where it delayed purchases of the previous US harvest until after a summit between the two countries' leaders in October.

The trade tensions between Beijing and Washington had driven Chinese buyers to postpone soybean purchases from the US until after the summit. Following the meeting, China purchased approximately 12 million tons of US soybeans, a significant but still limited amount in comparison to its pre-trade war levels. Additionally, China had already met more than 60% of its 25-million-ton target for the 2026/27 US soybean buying season, with imports starting in September, according to traders interviewed by Reuters.