Reuters is reporting that China is purchasing 500,000 metric tons of U.S. soybeans, which would be its first purchase since U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping meeting in Argentina in early December.
“The sales are one of the clearest signs yet that a bitter trade fight between the world’s two largest economies is thawing following the meeting of the countries’ leaders at the Group of 20 industrialized nations gathering in Argentina,” says the report.
Chicago soybean futures jumped to highs not seen since China imposed tariffs on U.S. shipments in July, with the most actively traded January contract rising as high as $9.28 per bushel.
China is the largest buyer of U.S. soy, importing ~60% of all U.S. overseas shipments last year in deals valued at more than $12B, but this year it has relied increasingly on Argentina and Brazil.