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China-Latin America relations
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Brazil widens lead in China’s soybean market as US shipments fall despite Trump-Xi deal

China’s Brazilian soybean imports up 13.7 per cent in June compared to a year earlier; US figures fell 20.6 per cent over the same period

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Imported soybeans from Brazil are seen in a cargo vessel at a port in Yantai, China. China’s Brazilian soybean imports are up by 13.7 per cent in June compared to a year earlier. Photo: AFP
Igor Patrickin Rio de Janeiro
China imported 12.08 million tonnes of Brazilian soybeans in June, up 13.7 per cent from a year earlier, while volumes from the United States fell 20.6 per cent to 1.27 million tonnes, far off the pace implied by the purchasing deal agreed by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, according to figures released on Monday by China’s General Administration of Customs.

Total arrivals of the oilseed reached 13.55 million tonnes, a record for the month, lifted by Brazilian supply and by the clearing of cargoes that had been delayed at Chinese ports.

In June of last year, Brazil sent 10.62 million tonnes, and the United States 1.6 million tonnes.

The half-year figures set the June result in a longer decline. Imports from the US fell 42.4 per cent between January and June, to 9.31 million tonnes, against a Chinese pledge to take at least 25 million tonnes a year through 2028. Brazilian volumes over the same period rose 9.1 per cent, to 34.75 million tonnes.

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The commitment is annual, and June shipments reflect purchases made weeks or months earlier, which leaves room for buying to be concentrated later in the year.

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