**China’s Soybean Offensive Directly Hits Trump’s Support Base… ‘Used Cooking Oil’ as a Countermeasure**
**Washington=AP/Newsis** President Donald Trump attended the Charlie Kirk Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House Rose Garden on the 14th (local time), where he spoke about the situation.
**Seoul=Newsis** Reporter Kim Nanyoung – U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a ‘cease of edible oil imports’ as part of his trade offensive against China. This is in response to China’s suspension of soybean imports, making soybeans and edible oil key elements in the trade war between the two countries.
On the 14th (local time), President Trump referred to China’s suspension of soybean imports on Truth Social, stating, “It creates difficulties for our soybean farmers” and labeled it as “economic hostility.”
He added, “We are considering suspending trade on edible oil and other trade items as retaliation,” emphasizing, “We can produce edible oil ourselves, so there’s no need to purchase it from China.”
In April, China stopped importing U.S. soybeans as a retaliatory measure following high tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Although the two countries entered a truce phase later, the suspension of soybean imports remains.
Soybeans were an agenda topic during the first U.S.-China trade war under Trump’s administration in 2019. Last year alone, China purchased 27 million tons of soybeans, making it the largest consumer.
The American agricultural industry, including soybeans, accounts for 10% of the U.S. employment market. Additionally, the U.S. Midwest agricultural region, known as the “Farm Belt,” is a strong supporter base for President Trump.
This makes China’s suspension of soybean imports particularly painful.
In fact, after China’s soybean import suspension, the sentiment among American farmers has been uneasy. There are concerns about a sharp decrease in soybean demand, leading to a drop in product prices and increased storage costs for unsold goods.
Ryan McIntune, an agricultural worker in Minnesota, expressed his fear in a recent PBS interview, stating, “I’m afraid the prices will drop further if we can’t find demand for soybeans.”
The opposition Democratic Party in the U.S. is actively exploiting this situation politically. According to Politico, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is producing related video advertisements ahead of the midterm elections.
The 30-second clip focuses on how Trump’s tariffs and trade policies have harmed farmers, including those in the soybean industry. A soybean farmer features in the advertisement.
John Bartman, a soybean farmer from Illinois, appears in the ad, criticizing the current actions of the Trump administration’s first term, saying, “It’s destroying our markets,” and warned, “Once the markets disappear, they can’t be restored.”
The Democrats plan to distribute this ad in 11 congressional districts with incumbent Republican members.
If the Trump administration decides to suspend imports of Chinese edible oil, the target will likely be used cooking oil (UCO), which refers to industrial raw materials refined and processed from already used cooking oil.
According to CNBC, 43% of China’s exports of used cooking oil last year were to the U.S. The U.S. primarily imports cooking oil from Canada, Indonesia, and the European Union for cooking purposes.