At a Thursday press briefing in Beijing, He Yadong, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce, emphasized that Washington must "cancel the relevant unreasonable tariffs" to improve the atmosphere for U.S.-China agricultural trade, particularly soybeans, the top U.S. export crop.

So far, no new U.S. soybean cargoes from the 2025 autumn harvest have been booked by Chinese buyers, according to commodity traders. Instead, Chinese importers continue sourcing from South America, where Brazil and Argentina offer competitive prices without political strings attached.

This trade pause comes despite a high-profile visit by Li Chenggang, China's top trade negotiator, who earlier this week met with Midwestern U.S. governors, senators, and farm groups. The meetings were seen as a goodwill signal ahead of broader trade talks, but no concrete deals were struck.

The current stalemate has significant implications: billions of dollars in soybean exports are at risk, and with storage and transportation costs mounting, U.S. growers may face compressed margins just as they begin harvesting one of their most valuable cash crops.

Negotiations are reportedly ongoing, with Chinese and U.S. trade officials expected to reconvene at the U.S. Treasury Department. However, technical disagreements persist, and no timeline for resolution has been announced.

Soybean producers, co-ops, and commodity groups are urging the Biden administration to de-escalate tariff tensions, warning that the longer China stays away from U.S. markets, the greater the strain on rural economies already dealing with volatile input costs, drought risks, and global supply chain disruptions.

While past trade battles have included temporary buying sprees from China under previous agreements, many ag economists caution that permanent market shifts toward South America could become entrenched if diplomacy fails to secure long-term access for U.S. soybeans.