China’s food supply ‘fully secure’; US soybean, pork exports plunge due to tariffs

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By Ma Tong (Global Times) 11:31, April 29, 2025

A Chinese official said on Monday that China's food supply remains "fully secure" and "unaffected" in response to a question about the impact of US tariffs on China's food supply. Meanwhile, US soybean and pork exports to China have plunged due to the tariffs, as China moves to diversify its import sources, according to reports on Monday.

Imports of grains such as sorghum, corn and soybeans from the US accounted for only a "very small" share of China's total grain consumption in 2024, and these imports were primarily used as feed stock, Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, told a press conference on Monday.

Zhao noted that these grain crops are highly substitutable, with ample supply available on the international market, and China's domestic grain reserves are abundant. "China's overall food supply will not be affected, even if purchases of US feed grains and oilseeds were suspended."

Zhao voiced strong confidence in China's ability to maintain grain self-sufficiency and ensure national food security, pointing to sustained efforts such as boosting production capacity and diversifying import sources. Noting China's grain output, which exceeded 1.4 trillion jin in 2024, Zhao said that "the Chinese people's rice bowls are firmly in our own hands."

The US-triggered trade tensions have already dealt a significant blow to its agricultural sector, as China, a key export market for American farm products, is accelerating its import diversification, according to media reports.

In April, about 40 ships carrying Brazilian soybeans are expected to dock at the Laotangshan terminal of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in East China's Zhejiang Province, a 48 percent year-on-year rise, the Global Times learned from a major logistics company at the terminal on Monday.

Laotangshan terminal, the largest designated grain import hub in the Yangtze River Delta, has been receiving multiple Brazilian soybean vessels daily in recent weeks, according to a representative of Zhoushan Port Laotangshan Change Transfer Storage Transport Co.

The terminal is projected to unload 700,000 tons of Brazilian soybeans this month, a 32 percent increase from last year's 530,000 tons, the representative told the Global Times.

Meanwhile, US official data showed a sharp decline in exports of American agricultural products, including soybeans and pork, for the period of April 11-17, which was the first full week of reporting after the tariff escalation initiated by the US administration against China.

Net sales of US soybeans dropped by 50 percent compared with the previous week, while net pork sales plummeted by 72 percent, according to a statement posted on the official website of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

"It is evident that the US agricultural sector and farmers are already suffering from the tariffs," Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Monday.

Li noted that US farm products like soybeans and pork heavily rely on the Chinese market and its strong purchasing power, but the US is voluntarily excluding itself from the enormous market by instigating a tariff war.

China purchased only 1,800 tons of US soybeans in the period, significantly lower than the 72,800 tons it purchased in the week ended April 10, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing USDA data.

USDA data also showed a 12,000-ton reduction in previously announced purchases of US pork by China, cutting total sales for the week ended April 17 to a mere 5,800 tons. That was the lowest figure for 2025 delivery reported so far this year, and off 72 percent from the prior week, according to the WSJ.

"Most of the products China imports from the US, such as soybeans, pork and beef, can be easily replaced by sourcing from other countries such as Brazil, Argentina and Australia, which are open to deepening trade ties with China," Li said.

China has been actively diversifying its agricultural imports in recent years. Market data showed that between 2016 and 2024, the US share of China's imports of soybeans plummeted from 40 percent to just 18 percent, according to a report from China Media Group.

Li cautioned that if the US tariffs remain in place or further escalate, the trade diversion will likely accelerate, as Chinese firms are forced to diversify their import sources. "Protectionism will not achieve the intended goals, and only by lifting all unilateral tariffs can it truly address the woes faced by US industries," he said.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)