China’s imports of US soybeans fell to zero last month for the first time since 2018, a bruising move for American producers as the trade dispute between the world’s two biggest economies drags on.
The tit-for-tat trade spat has devastated the US soy industry — China is the world’s largest importer — and created a political headache for US President Donald Trump: Farmers have been a bastion of support, and the White House is considering bailing them out.
Some respite may be on the horizon, however, after top US and Chinese trade officials held talks over the weekend and pledged to resume negotiations to lower tensions in their trade war as early as this week.
