[Text/Observer Network Wang Kaiwen] The tariff war instigated by the Trump administration of the United States has made American farmers the "collateral damage." As the largest customer of American agricultural products, China has shifted its procurement orders to countries like Brazil and Australia.

While American farmers are complaining, Trump assured them that the U.S. government would "protect" them and praised American farmers as "great" and "patriots." However, U.S. media did not hold back, pointing out that high tariffs would destroy the U.S. agricultural market.

On the other hand, competitors of U.S. agricultural products are actively engaging with China. According to Hong Kong media reports, Brazil will discuss expanding agricultural exports with China later this week.

Trump wrote on his self-created social platform "Truth Social" (True Social) on the evening of March 15: "Our farmers are great, and it is precisely because of their greatness that they are always placed at the forefront to face our opponents, such as China, whenever there is trade negotiation or a trade war."

Trump claimed that China was "cruel" to American farmers, but these "patriots" continued to persist... During my term against China's trade agreement (referring to the trade war initiated by Trump's first term against China), I compensated our farmers with $28 billion, which was a great deal for the United States, until the fraud Joe Biden took office and did not execute it."

"The U.S. will protect our farmers!!!" Trump wrote.

Since Trump returned to power, the U.S. has imposed extremely high tariffs on China. In response to America's tariff blackmail, China has increased retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. to 125%. Against this backdrop, U.S. exports to China have shrunk, and Brazil has quickly filled the gap, becoming the beneficiary.

On February 21, 2025, workers harvest soybeans on a farm in Orizulna, Goias state, Brazil. Visual China

According to Reuters, after China imposed a 10% to 15% tariff on U.S. agricultural products in March, it accelerated the shift from importing soybeans from the U.S. to Brazil. This year's bumper harvest of Brazilian soybeans is expected to see a significant increase in exports to China in the second quarter, potentially setting a historical record.

Insiders revealed that in the early days of last week, Chinese importers purchased at least 40 shipments of soybeans from Brazil, totaling at least 2.4 million tons, which is nearly one-third of China's average monthly soybean crushing capacity. These shipments are mostly scheduled for delivery between May and July.

According to a report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on April 16, senior officials from the agriculture departments of Brazil and China will meet in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, this week to discuss how to expand Brazil's exports to China.

China's demand for agricultural products is booming. Brazilian government officials revealed that this meeting will focus on discussing the export of Brazilian agricultural products such as soybeans and beef to China, as well as "how to fill the gap left by U.S. tariffs." Other topics to be discussed include increasing Brazil's production and China's certification of Brazilian slaughterhouses.

It was reported that Carlos Favaro, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil, and Zhang Zhili, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, will lead the Chinese delegation to attend the meeting scheduled for Thursday and Friday this week.

Reportedly, apart from increasing grain and meat production, this meeting between China and Brazil will also involve China's new ten-year agricultural development plan. These goals may affect long-term trade exchanges between China and Brazil.

Larissa Wachholz, former advisor to Brazil's Department of Agricultural Relations with China and researcher at the Center for International Relations of Brazil, said that this meeting provides an opportunity for Brazil to emphasize itself as a reliable supplier.

Besides Brazil, Australia is also rapidly filling the gap caused by the stagnation of U.S. beef exports to China.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) mentioned in its report on April 13 that the U.S.-China tariff conflict brought opportunities for Australian beef exports. Demand for Australian grain-fed beef in China surged, with exports to China exceeding 20,000 tons in February and March, skyrocketing nearly 40% compared to the same period last year.

In response to Trump's post on March 15, the website of The New Republic magazine described it as a "desperate message to farmers." The report pointed out that despite Trump urging American farmers to "grit their teeth," the 125% tariff would destroy the agricultural export market intended for the U.S.

The report noted that after Trump launched a trade war against China during his first term, American soybean farmers have yet to recover from the pain of losing China, their largest market. Reuters mentioned that the trade war at that time had already led China to adopt "permanent measures" to reduce its dependence on American agricultural products.

Customs data showed that from January to November 2024, China's share of soybean imports from the U.S. had fallen from 40% in 2016 to 18%, while Brazil's share had increased from 46% to 76%.

American farmers are one of Trump's key voter bases, but under the tariff war, their dissatisfaction with the Trump administration has been increasing.

In states like Iowa and Minnesota, which lean toward the Republican Party, local farmers who grow soybeans and corn warned the Trump administration that the increased export costs due to tariffs might bankrupt them. Some Republicans in swing states were also worried, fearing that tariffs might prompt traditionally Republican-leaning farmer voters to "switch sides" in next year's midterm elections.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493817290962715176/

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