China Soybean Imports: Brazil, US & Argentina

China's soybean import total can conceal different supplier patterns. This tracker compares non-seed soybean imports, HS 120190, with Brazil, the United States and Argentina over matching calendar months. The current panel shows the website's published customs USD values, monthly and cumulative growth, and each selected supplier's share of the same month's global total.

Brazil, the United States and Argentina

Read the country lines alongside the global series. A supplier can gain share while its import value falls if the global total falls faster. Conversely, higher imports from one country do not establish an increase across every supplier. The selected three-country comparison is not an exhaustive supplier ranking.

Country histories come from the matching published partner-month records. An absent row remains unavailable; it is not inserted as zero. Monthly growth compares the immediately preceding calendar month, while annual growth compares the same month a year earlier. Cumulative growth requires complete January-to-reference-month windows in both years. These comparisons are not seasonally adjusted, so changes in harvest and shipment timing need longer historical context.

Non-seed soybeans are not the whole HS 1201 heading

The HS 120190 import series excludes seed. The broader HS 1201 heading also includes soybeans for sowing; its total must not be added to its children.

The Chinese tariff further distinguishes non-genetically modified soybeans, genetically modified soybeans, and other non-seed lines. Those product definitions should remain separate when researching processing, food or feed markets. The customs code does not identify the actual end use of every shipment.

Import value, shipment weight and purchase announcements

This edition compares USD values. A value change can reflect shipment quantities, transaction values and product mix. A dollars-per-tonne measure needs a verified weight series with the same product, month, currency and partner coverage. It is not calculated from a separately reported national tonnage figure here.

Purchase announcements also differ from recorded imports. A contract, loading date and customs entry can fall in different months; a report of new US purchases does not establish that those cargoes are already included in the monthly import series.

Use the chart CSV for the displayed monthly values and the linked product pages for more detail. For related agricultural trade research, compare fresh and frozen beef imports or browse the China Trade product directory.

Source: ChinaData's published GACC customs release and scraper-synced official product catalog. Monthly panels refresh with the promoted release and site rebuild; the interpretation above does not assume a particular month's outcome.