Latest News From China

MOSCOW, March 7 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday that it had sent 27 tonnes of pork to China, the first exports of the meat there since Beijing imposed a ban on Russian pork nearly 15 years ago due to African Swine

China's once-soaring soybean demand will slow by about a fifth in the first quarter from a year earlier after record slaughter shrank pig herds, pressuring prices ahead of an expected glut of South American beans.

In October 2023, Arkansas became the first state to ban foreign-owned farmland. More states look to adopt similar laws, but one policy expert says the issue is rooted in politics and warns of unintended consequences.

From the election to world trade, as well as geopolitical factors that have the potential to shape agriculture in 2024, the December Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor shows the possibility of several economic surprises.

Not only has ASF rocked China’s pork supply, but pork prices more than doubled to reach record levels. A new report investigates the degree to which China’s reduced pork supply affected pork-exporting countries.

A larger issue than foreign ownership of U.S. land is potentially being overlooked.

China's Commerce minister expressed concerns over trade and tech restrictions to U.S. Senate Majority Leader this week. That's as the U.S. Commerce Department added 42 more Chinese companies to the export blacklist.

China's GDP growth could possibly drop lower than the U.S. this year. In fact, fewer and fewer sectors are healthy, and only then by direct government intervention.

Roughly 37.6 million acres of U.S. ag land is foreign owned, according to USDA. However, select purchases of U.S. land could come to an end following a Senate vote this week.

A consortium led by major Chinese pig feed producer Twins Group will lead the restructuring of Jiangxi Zhengbang Technology 002157.SZ, previously one of the country's top pig breeders, Zhengbang said on Monday.

The July Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor showed several key changes from June including a bigger cut to corn and soybean yields, a drop in corn and soybean prices and more bullish cattle and hog prices.

China's second-quarter pork output rose 4.6% from a year earlier to 14.4 million metric tons, the highest in at least a decade for the period, as farmers raised more pigs on hopes of better demand.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) introduced an act to prevent foreign adversaries from exploiting U.S. land near security sites, and would push a review of current ownership in these areas.

This slump, deeper than May's 7.5% drop, represents the largest decline since February 2020.

Beijing on Monday announced export controls on gallium and germanium. Now the Biden administration is set to restrict Chinese companies’ access to U.S. cloud-computing services that use AI chips.

The U.S. and China have reportedly made “progress” and agreed to stabilize their relationship, but no major breakthroughs were outlined during the two-day meeting between U.S. and China high-ranking officials.

China's exports to Russia reached a record high in April, amounting to $9.6 billion.

The Office of Investment Security proposed a rule on Friday that would require foreign entities to garner U.S. government approval before they are able to purchase land within 100 miles of eight military bases.

The Missouri Senate on Wednesday backed a plan to amend the state's foreign land ownership threshold. The bill also includes a provision that would limit foreign countries from acquiring farmland in Missouri by Sept. 1.

China's soybean acreage may only slightly increase this year, an official said on Thursday, suggesting output is unlikely to match last year's jump due to soft prices.

China's first-quarter pork output rose 1.9% from a year earlier to 15.9 million metric tons, the highest quarter in five years, after farmers sold off pigs because of a surge in disease outbreaks.

Chinese pork processing giant WH Group processed 30% more poultry last year. Competition in pork processing is growing in China, with more hog producers building slaughterhouses to integrate operations.

Former President Donald Trump placed tariffs on more than $300 billion in Chinese goods during his presidency, raising costs for American companies, according to the ITC.

"In this current situation, the traditional approach to free trade agreements — which isn't just tariff cuts, but that they do tariff cuts on a fully comprehensive basis — isn't what we need right now,” Tai says.

After easing China’s COVID restrictions and a wave of COVID moved through its residents, Chinese consumers are quickly returning with an excess of cash in hand, the U.S. Meat Export Federation reports.

Carcass utilization is a key profitability figure that needs more focus, says Bob Ruth, a Pennsylvania pork producer recently retired from Clemens Food Group. It may even be more important than pounds sold.

Much ink and many pixels have been wasted, in my opinion, on rants about people other than U.S. farmers owning farmland. Surprisingly, critics are just as hard on wealthy Americans as foreigners.

COVID-19 continues to plague pork demand in China. Meanwhile, the country's hog numbers continue to rise.

Officials in China now say the population sits at 1.4 billion, which came as a surprise to many economists and market analysts. The news draws concerns about what it means for demand both short- and long-term.

If the nation’s debt hits $31.4 trillion—it’s on track to do so by this Thurs.—the Treasury will need to take “extraordinary measures” to help pay the government's operations and ward off a historic default.

China's pork output in 2022 increased by 4.6% from 2021 to reach its highest since 2014, official data showed on Tuesday, confounding some expectations for a smaller rise.

Demand concerns have been intensifying with the spike in Covid numbers in China.  That’s been sending a negative tone across the energy sector, equities and portions of the ag markets. 

Export tariffs on aluminum and aluminum alloys will be raised. The current import tariff will stay on seven types of coal until March 31, with tariffs adopted for most favored nations from April 1.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said China sent 71 warplanes and seven naval vessels on “strike drills”⁠ — rehearsals for conflict ⁠— into its air-defense zones.

John Phipps has noticed more unsettling problems for the second-largest nation to the point that despite their skills and accomplishment, he thinks China is heading for trouble. He explains why in John's World.

China's most active live hog futures contract fell more than 3% on Wednesday, the biggest decline since July, as spot prices came under pressure from weak consumption and heavy slaughter volumes.

China moved to close parks, malls and museums on Tues. as COVID-19 cases hit near-record levels. Lockdowns follow reports that, days before COP27, Xi sent policy and business advisers to New York to meet U.S. executives.

“In the last 2,500 years, every Chinese government that has fallen, has fallen over food,” says Kuehl, Armada chief economist. “They need those import markets—be it from the U.S, Canada, Brazil or Australia."

China's third-quarter pork output reached 12.11 million metric tons, up by less than 1% year-on-year, official data showed, highlighting the impact on production after farmers recorded huge losses earlier in the year.

Global inflation will likely decrease to 6.5% in 2023 and to 4.1% by 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast.

Have the Pacific Coast port bottleneck issues been resolved, or moved somewhere else? The East Coast may now be carrying the burden.

China will release 15,000 metric tons of frozen pork from state reserves on Saturday in preparation for the upcoming holidays.

Do tariffs fuel inflation? John Phipps's Customer Support segment explains why economists have struggled to come up with estimates of economic effects due to lingering COVID influence on world business.

Fufeng Group recently bought 300 acres of land in North Dakota and the proximity to a U.S. military base has many concerned. But this isn’t the first time questions have been raised about China’s stake in the U.S.

China's second-quarter pork output climbed to 13.78 million tonnes, according to calculations based on official data released on Friday, the highest level for the period since at least 2015.

China’s inflation soars with the local pork industry a reason to blame. Several tactics will be used to decrease pork prices, but they face some headwinds.

China's soymeal inventories have tripled in the last three months as large volumes of soybeans arrived in the country where demand for the animal feed ingredient is weak, analysts and traders said.

The zero-Covid strategy by the Chinese government is slowing their economy. In a rare admission, officials have lowered their GDP growth estimate, almost totally based on cities that aren’t working, especially ports.

Shanghai offered some tax rebates for companies and allowed all manufacturers to resume operations from June as authorities rolled out policies to revitalize an economy impacted by Covid-19 lockdowns.

Tiny slivers of ear tissue snipped from hours-old piglets offer clues for the team at Best Genetics Group as it strives to improve genetics of China's hog herd to produce cheaper meat for the world's top pork consumer.