In October, China significantly increased its soybean imports by 56% compared to the previous year, reaching 8.09 million metric tons, as buyers hurried to stockpile before Donald Trump took office. This marked the largest October import in four years, driven by better crush margins and concerns over potential trade tensions under Trump's presidency. For the first 10 months of 2024, total soybean imports were 89.94 million tons, close to the previous year's total. Fears of tariffs have led some Chinese importers to avoid US shipments, while China's pivot to Brazilian soybeans since 2018 has helped it manage trade frictions with the US more effectively.