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...