China signals strong demand for soybean imports in 2026 rural blueprint

China will “deeply participate” in agricultural trade and expand imports of products in short domestic supply, a senior official said on Wednesday, signalling strong and sustained demand for overseas soybeans – a long-standing food security concern and a flashpoint in its ties with the United States.

Despite a tight balance between production and demand, China would diversify import sources and make full use of international markets, said Han Wenxiu, head of the office of the Communist Party’s rural affairs leading group.

His remarks followed Tuesday’s release of Beijing’s 2026 rural blueprint, known as the “No 1 Document” and traditionally the leadership’s first policy directive of the year.

The blueprint pledged to boost soybean output by prioritising yields and better aligning domestic production with trade, marking a shift from Beijing’s years-long emphasis on expanding planting acreage to curb dependence on major overseas suppliers such as the US.

“We will actively pursue broader and higher-level opening-up, including in agriculture”, Han said, while stressing that “it is essential to appropriately regulate the pace and extent of farm product imports to protect national food security”.

The remarks were consistent with Beijing’s commitment to buy at least 25 million tonnes of US soybeans annually through 2028, a figure announced by the White House, under a trade deal reached between the two superpowers in October.

China has sought to balance sourcing from overseas markets with protecting domestic agriculture. Farmers in the beef sector, for instance, suffered widespread losses last year as prices plummeted following a surge of cheap imports.

South China Morning Post