Skip to content
Menu
Menu

Trump threatens ban on Chinese cooking oil as trade tensions heat up

The US president has vowed to end American imports of used cooking oil, which is a key ingredient in the manufacture of biofuels
  • Analysts say the impact of such a move would be limited, as China was no longer reliant on the US as a buyer, having switched to other markets

ARTICLE BY

PUBLISHED

ARTICLE BY

PUBLISHED

UPDATED: 16 Oct 2025, 8:11 am

US President Donald Trump has threatened to ban imports of Chinese cooking oil after Beijing’s refusal to buy US soybeans in the face of Washington’s aggressive trade policies. 

According to multiple media outlets, Trump described China’s suspension of US soybean imports as “an economically hostile act” and said Washington was “considering terminating business with China” with regards to “cooking oil, and other elements of trade, as retribution.”

The US was China’s top market for used cooking oil – a key biofuel ingredient – in 2024, importing a record 1.27 million tonnes worth US$1.1 billion that year. But shipments plunged 65 percent in the first eight months of 2025 following Chinese tax rebate cuts and higher US tariffs.

[See more: China tightens its export controls on rare earths ahead of Xi-Trump meeting]

Trade analysts said Trump’s remarks were unlikely to have a major economic effect, given the market had already contracted. 

“Domestic producers are now mainly taking orders for Europe and are no longer considering the US market,” one Chinese trader told Reuters.

China is the world’s largest importer of soybeans and has slashed US purchases in recent months, turning instead to Brazilian and Argentine suppliers. The switch follows fresh tariff threats from the US, which is seeking to economically constrain its main geopolitical rival. 

UPDATED: 16 Oct 2025, 8:11 am

Send this to a friend