US claims success after China suspends soybean imports from select Brazilian suppliers

Secretary Brooke Rollins stated that China halted imports from Brazil due to “quality violations,” framing the move as a strategic win for the US farm sector. The suspension affects only five Brazilian facilities, after a shipment bound for Beijing was found to contain wheat treated with pesticides. The companies impacted include two Cargill plants and one facility each operated by Louis Dreyfus Co., CHS Agronegocios, and 3Tentos Agroindustrial. Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture emphasized that this represents only a minimal share of more than 2,000 accredited exporters, and total soybean shipments to China are expected to exceed 100 million tonnes this year. Despite Washington’s bold rhetoric, Brazil remains the dominant supplier of soybeans to the Chinese market. The US position weakened significantly back in 2018, when China imposed a 25% tariff in response to American trade barriers. After Trump’s return to the White House, tariff tensions escalated again, and China did not ...