As Donald Trump escalates tariffs, BRICS nations retaliate — with China sidelining U.S. farmers and turning to Brazil and India, costing Washington billions.
Amid Donald Trump’s raging trade war, the BRICS bloc is hitting America where it hurts most — trade. The latest blow: China, the world’s largest soybean importer, has virtually shut out U.S. farmers and turned to Brazil as its primary supplier.
Brazil, like India, has been slapped with tariffs of up to 50% by Washington. Instead of folding under pressure, it has stepped into the vacuum left by the U.S., with Chinese buyers snapping up Brazilian soybeans at record volumes.
📊 The numbers tell the story:
- China imported 420,873 tonnes of soybeans from the U.S. in July — a 11.47% drop year-on-year.
- Brazil now supplies nearly 90% of China’s soybean needs.
- The U.S. share has plunged to just 4%.
- In forward sales for September and October, China bought zero U.S. soybeans.
The fallout for American farmers is severe. With harvest season weeks away, they warn they “cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute with our largest customer.”
Meanwhile, China has slapped a 20% tariff on U.S. soybeans, while signaling stronger ties with Brazil. After a direct call with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Xi Jinping declared that Beijing “supports Brazil in safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests” — a thinly veiled jab at Trump.
The soybean shift is just one example of how BRICS nations are diversifying markets and shielding themselves from U.S. pressure, turning Washington’s tariff gambit into a boomerang.
For U.S. farmers, Trump’s trade war is no longer just a geopolitical battle — it’s an existential crisis.
