China-US agricultural cooperation: From soy to sustainability

China and the US have shared long-standing practical cooperation in agriculture, with soybean as a cornerstone of this partnership across research, production and trade.

Jim Sutter, CEO of the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC), highlighted that the USSEC has been working in China since 1982. As the world's largest soybean importer, China is a crucial market for US soybeans, often taking about half of annual exports and generating billions in value for American farmers and the broader supply chain, he said in an interview with the Global Times.

The trade supports jobs not only on farms, but in rural communities, transportation, export terminals and related service industries, Sutter said. In the 2024/25 marketing year, the US exported 22.6 million tonnes of soybeans to China, and he remains "cautiously optimistic" that exports can stay in the mid-20-million-tonne range annually, given the high complementarity of the two markets.

In 2023, the USSEC partnered with Henan Province and leading enterprises, including China's leading food trader COFCO and a US agribusiness leader Cargill, to establish the US-China Soy Value Chain Innovation Center (SIC). The center promotes research and commercial applications of soybean products and provides training across livestock, poultry, aquaculture, animal feed production, soy protein, oil application and trade sectors, demonstrating how practical cooperation can create real benefits for farmers and the wider supply chain.

"The two countries hold pivotal positions in the soybean supply chain," said USSEC Greater China Regional Director Zhang Xiaoping. He noted that deeper cooperation can support responsible global trade and contribute to a green, low-carbon and sustainable global soybean supply chain.

Building on the SIC collaboration, an aquaculture project using the in-pond raceway system (IPRS) was launched in Minquan County, Shangqiu City in Henan, in 2024. Covering 44 acres, the project includes four recirculating raceways producing roughly 25 tonnes of fish annually. Designed by the US' Auburn University and introduced by the USSEC, the system keeps fish in oxygen-rich water throughout their lives, producing healthier, tastier fish while separating waste to maintain clean water. The project saves water and land, improves efficiency, reduces pollution and serves as a model for sustainable aquaculture.

The cooperation extends beyond soybeans. In 2023, US-based BRANDT partnered with China's Yonfer Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. to introduce its REACTION technology for fertilizers, combining enzyme activation and sugar enhancement to improve nutrient absorption, soil vitality and crop resilience. Farmers in China's Guangdong and Yunnan provinces have reported higher yields, improved crop quality and greater resistance to adverse conditions.

Last year, the USSEC participated in the China International Import Expo for the eighth consecutive year. A total of 13 US agricultural commodity groups, covering soybeans, corn, dairy and meat, exhibited at the expo to showcase the quality, sustainability and reliability of American farm products.