US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Washington is considering terminating certain trade ties with China, including in relation to cooking oil. In a post on Truth Social, the US president said Washington was considering terminating some trade ties with China, including in relation to cooking oil, accusing Beijing of deliberately hurting American farmers.
“I believe that China purposefully not buying our Soybeans, and causing difficulty for our Soybean Farmers, is an Economically Hostile Act,” Trump wrote. “We are considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of Trade, as retribution.”
Then came the trademark Trump flourish: “As an example, we can easily produce Cooking Oil ourselves — we don’t need to purchase it from China.”
The post is the latest rhetoric after trade tensions flared up last week when Beijing imposed extra export rules on rare earths products. However, both sides also have made off-ramp remarks, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent telling Fox News on Monday that the leaders still plan to meet at the end of the month in South Korea.
China is the world’s largest buyer of soybeans, but in recent months it has sharply reduced purchases from the US, instead turning to Brazil and Argentina amid ongoing tariff tensions. Trump has described that shift as a negotiation tactic, warning Beijing that the US could strike back harder.
“I hope to discuss soybeans with President Xi very soon,” Trump said earlier this month, before adding that the US may halt a large share of imports if Beijing doesn’t change course.
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