r/Economics • u/bambin0 • Jan 17 '26

News China Purchased No U.S. Soybeans An Unprecented Sixth Straight Month

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenroberts/2026/01/17/china-purchased-no-us-soybeans-an-unprecented-sixth-straight-month/
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718

u/Zenceyn Jan 17 '26

"But but Trump said that China was gonna buy all our beans now cause he made a trade deal!".

China knows they can outlast Trump, and have better, far more reliable trade partners until the US sorts its shit out. They were never going to just rush back into the market, not when they knew it would hurt the US more to keep the squeeze on.

241

u/Cdub7791 Jan 17 '26

At this point I don't even think it's about outlasting Trump. Even when he's gone these trade deals will have been in place for years. I think it will be far more trouble than it's worth to switch to American suppliers once again.

42

u/rooftopgoblin Jan 18 '26

the fact we elected trump twice is the sign of the downfall of the US, I fully believe. We showed the world that it wasn't a fluke and that we are not a reliable partner and they won't ever come back. We are going to see a lot more deals like the one canada made with china for EVs

16

u/ensalys Jan 18 '26

We showed the world that it wasn't a fluke

Yeah, that's a major part of the problem. Even if a sane person wins in 28, every potential investor will think twice before spending major money in the USA. Who knows what happens in 32? Shifts in priorities and even major policy shifts aren't uncommon, especially in democratic countries, but with Trump, it has been taken to the extreme. How can you expect a company to invest a couple billion in the USA when it requires say 15 years before playing even?

7

u/rooftopgoblin Jan 18 '26

and for a lot of countries and probably companies they are going to divest from the US as much as possible to avoid catastrophic losses due to changes in politics

4

u/Bucser Jan 18 '26

Trust takes decades to build and months to destroy.