China, the world’s top soybean importer, expects purchases to slump in the coming season as its pig herd declines, heightening competition for market share just as the US seeks to ramp up sales. The country’s purchases in the season that starts in October are seen dropping 7.6% from the prior year to 95.5 million tons, the agriculture ministry said in its monthly China Agricultural Supply and Dema...
China, the world’s top soybean importer, expects purchases to slump in the coming season as its pig herd declines, heightening competition for market share just as the US seeks to ramp up sales. The country’s purchases in the season that starts in October are seen dropping 7.6% from the prior year to 95.5 million tons, the agriculture ministry said in its monthly China Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. That would be at least a second straight annual decline in a market global farmers have historically counted on for steady growth. Consumption in 2026-27 will also fall by about 6%. China brings in soybeans to crush into cooking oil and feed for its massive livestock sector. A declining sow herd is weakening demand from the pork industry, according to the report posted late Tuesday. Beijing has been pushing to cut pig numbers to bolster local prices that have plunged to the lowest in at least 15 years, leaving farmers suffering sustained losses. The forecast bucks an estimate from the US Department of Agriculture’s global crop report , issued the same day, which pegged China’s soybean imports to climb to 114 million tons. China had shunned American agricultural purchases for much of 2025 amid a broader trade rift between the two sides, before resuming imports as part of a truce struck late in the year. US farmers are now seeking to build on that momentum, and soybeans, as well as other crops including corn , are expected to feature in the talks as President Donald Trump meets his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week. The White House had earlier said China would buy at least 25 million tons of soybeans annually through 2028. While China’s smaller sow herd could also weigh on demand for corn — another key ingredient in animal feed — higher industrial demand is offsetting some of the drop. Imports are seen steady from a year earlier at 6 million tons, according to the report. China also raised its forecast for corn production in 2026-27 to 306 million ...
Danielle Wood, Australian Productivity Commission Chair, discusses her thoughts on the national budget and its implications for boosting productivity in Australia. She speaks with Bloomberg's Paul Allen in Canberra on "Bloomberg: The Asia Trade". (Source: Bloomberg)
Danielle Wood, Australian Productivity Commission Chair, discusses her thoughts on the national budget and its implications for boosting productivity in Australia. She speaks with Bloomberg's Paul Allen in Canberra on "Bloomberg: The Asia Trade". (Source: Bloomberg)
Two regional banks in central Japan are planning to integrate their operations, people familiar with the matter said, as a long-anticipated industry consolidation pick up pace. The deal between Aichi Financial Group Inc. and San ju San Financial Group Inc. will create a regional banking group with total assets worth over ¥11.6 trillion yen ($74 billion), the people said, asking not to be named bef...
Two regional banks in central Japan are planning to integrate their operations, people familiar with the matter said, as a long-anticipated industry consolidation pick up pace. The deal between Aichi Financial Group Inc. and San ju San Financial Group Inc. will create a regional banking group with total assets worth over ¥11.6 trillion yen ($74 billion), the people said, asking not to be named before an official disclosure. The firms are expected to announce this later on Wednesday, said one of the people. In separate filings with the stock exchange, Aichi and San ju San said their boards respectively made a decision on the integration earlier in the day. The banks said they will make an announcement soon. Shares of the two firms were suspended from trading after the integration plan was first reported by public broadcaster NHK. Before the trading suspension, San ju San shares rose as much as 8.3% before paring some gains. Shares of Aichi, where Japanese hedge fund Ariake Capital Inc. has built more than a 10% stake, jumped as much as 6.2%. Ariake Capital said in April when it reported its shareholding increase in Aichi that it may make important proposals to the company. Japan has been seeing a wave of regional bank deals, with potentially more consolidation to come by banks and their neighboring rivals. Lenders are under growing pressure to map out their future amid the country’s shrinking population and intensifying fight for deposits in a rising rate environment. In March, Bank of Nagoya Ltd. , which shares the same home market as Aichi, reached an agreement with bigger rival Shizuoka Financial Group Inc. to consolidate their operations under a holding company. Read More: Rate Hikes Drive Japan Regional Banks Toward Mergers to Survive
From Obama’s evening chats on Yingtai island in the grounds of Zhongnanhai to Trump’s tea reception in the Forbidden City, historic settings have long formed a symbolic backdrop to key moments in US-China diplomacy. As Trump prepares for his visit to China from Wednesday to Friday – the first by an American president in almost nine years – all eyes will not only be on the summit agenda, but also o...
From Obama’s evening chats on Yingtai island in the grounds of Zhongnanhai to Trump’s tea reception in the Forbidden City, historic settings have long formed a symbolic backdrop to key moments in US-China diplomacy. As Trump prepares for his visit to China from Wednesday to Friday – the first by an American president in almost nine years – all eyes will not only be on the summit agenda, but also on the carefully choreographed details surrounding the reception, including sites featured in the...