China imported 200,477 metric tons of soybeans from the United States in August, a 12% decline from the 227,205 tons imported during the same month last year, according to Chinese customs data. At the same time, imports from Brazil rose 1% to 10.61 million tons.

China imported 12.14 million metric tons of soybeans overall in August, down 1.1% from a year earlier but up 5.7% from July. Brazil accounted for the overwhelming majority of China's soybean imports during the month.

For the first eight months of 2026, Chinese imports of U.S. soybeans fell 34% from the previous year to 10.66 million tons, while imports from Brazil increased 5% to 55.14 million tons. China remains the world's largest soybean buyer.

The decline in U.S. shipments comes after China purchased roughly 12 million tons of American soybeans following a summit between Trump and Xi last year. Much of those purchases have since arrived at Chinese ports. China has also committed to purchasing 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans in 2026, and traders said last week that Beijing had passed the halfway point toward that target.

Soybeans are expected to remain an important issue in U.S.-China trade discussions when Trump and Xi meet in Washington on September 24. The two countries are also negotiating broader trade issues, including tariffs and additional Chinese purchases of American agricultural products.