Trump eyeing end to some China trade ties, including cooking oil

President Donald Trump said this week he is considering ending certain trade ties with China, including imports of cooking oil, in response to what he described as Beijing's near-halt of purchases of U.S. soybeans. The president made the comments in a post on his social media platform and told reporters at the White House that he regarded the reduction in soybean purchases as an "economically hostile act" that was harming American farmers.

Trump said the United States could produce cooking oil domestically and suggested cutting imports of cooking oil and "other elements of trade" as retribution for China's actions. He framed the move as aimed at protecting soybean farmers, who have seen demand from China decline sharply in recent months after China shifted much of its soybean buying elsewhere.

The dispute comes amid a broader deterioration in trade relations. U.S. officials have criticized Beijing for new export controls on rare earths and other critical minerals, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said those controls reflect economic weakness and risk damaging the global economy. The administration has said it plans to impose an additional 100 percent tariff on certain...