China halted orders for U.S. soybeans and corn before tariff escalation

Beijing shifts trade toward Brazil, aiming to rattle American farmers amid trade war

20250420 Xi Trump Beans

China, led by President Xi Jinping, halted orders of U.S. soybeans and corn just days before President Donald Trump returned to the White House. (Source photos by Reuters)

KENTARO SHIOZAKI, NIKI MIZUGUCHI and TOMOYA TAKAYAMA

BEIJING/SAO PAOLO/TOKYO -- China has frozen purchase orders for American soybeans and corn since mid-January, Nikkei has learned, reducing imports of farm products from the U.S. while buying more from countries such as Brazil to ensure steady supplies.

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