https://www.scmp.com/rss/522882/feed The latest news and top stories on Brooke Rollins. As the US Agriculture Secretary and a new member of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), she is focused on protecting American farms from foreign adversaries, particularly by restricting foreign purchases of farmland. Rollins previously served as Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives in the White House. She also led the America First Policy Institute and the... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Khushboo Razdan,Igor Patrick Khushboo Razdan,Igor Patrick US President Donald Trump and his administration on Tuesday seized on China’s recent ban on select Brazilian soybean shipments, touting it as proof they had won Beijing back over to US suppliers even though official data shows China has only resumed American purchases modestly. At a lengthy, end-of-year cabinet meeting, US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that “just a couple of days ago, China announced that they were going to halt all purchases from Brazil because they had found some... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334973/trump-seizes-china-ban-brazil-select-soy-trade-data-shows-us-gains-small?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334973/trump-seizes-china-ban-brazil-select-soy-trade-data-shows-us-gains-small?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 23:30:51 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Randal Shelby planned carefully and waited years to ditch a career spent in hospitals and medical centres to chase a dream in which he traded antiseptic hallways full of sick patients for the great outdoors. His new life started six years ago, after he secured about US$1.3 million in financing for a Case combine and other equipment, fertilisers, seed and labour needed to produce soybeans and rice, staples that enjoyed strong demand overseas, primarily from China. High fuel costs, rising interest... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3333207/things-were-already-grim-us-farmers-then-china-tensions-worsened-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3333207/things-were-already-grim-us-farmers-then-china-tensions-worsened-again?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 15:00:11 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Soybean futures jumped on signals that China is stepping up its buying of oilseed, offering hope for US farmers after purchases appeared to have stalled. Prices in Chicago rose as much as 3.2 per cent on Monday, hitting a fresh 17-month high, after US President Donald Trump said China is in the process of buying soybeans. “They’ll be doing a lot of soybean purchases,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, adding that those purchases could start before spring. Brokerage AgResource Co... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333172/us-soybean-futures-rebound-signs-china-ramping-purchases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333172/us-soybean-futures-rebound-signs-china-ramping-purchases?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:21:57 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han The fight against a Florida law restricting property purchases by Chinese citizens may hinge on finding new challengers – and on persuading a conservative judiciary unlikely to reverse course, legal experts say. In a 2-1 decision on Tuesday, the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta upheld two provisions of the 2023 law – requiring buyers to register their property and attest to their eligibility by affidavit, and ruled that the plaintiffs lacked the right to challenge the main purchasing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332012/courts-turn-slam-dunk-case-uphill-battle-floridas-chinese-property-ban-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332012/courts-turn-slam-dunk-case-uphill-battle-floridas-chinese-property-ban-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 20:58:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he did not want Americans to “go hungry” and was ready to maintain funding for food aid a day before some 42 million people would lose their monthly assistance. In a lengthy social media post, Trump said “Government lawyers do not think we have the legal authority to pay” the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits once funding expires on November 1 during the ongoing government shutdown, but added that he has instructed them to “clarify... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331136/us-judges-order-trump-administration-continue-snap-food-aid-despite-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331136/us-judges-order-trump-administration-continue-snap-food-aid-despite-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 18:37:22 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan American soybean farmers got some rare good news on Wednesday just hours before a high-stakes meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump when news broke that Beijing had placed its first order after months of trade tension that saw shipments blocked. The Trump administration hailed the move as a “positive step forward” for farmers, touting the “America first” leader’s deal-making prowess. “Today’s purchase by China of multiple ships of American soybeans signals... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3330823/relief-and-caution-china-resumes-us-soybean-purchases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3330823/relief-and-caution-china-resumes-us-soybean-purchases?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 17:15:56 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg With the US government shutdown stumbling towards the one-month mark, the effects of the stand-off between Republicans and Democrats were being felt further away from the Capitol, as flights began to back up and food aid was drying up. US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy warned that travellers would face more flight delays and cancellations in the coming weeks as the continuing shutdown exacerbates the air traffic controller staffing crunch. “What I see coming forward, as we get to Monday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330405/food-benefits-millions-americans-be-paused-government-shutdown-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330405/food-benefits-millions-americans-be-paused-government-shutdown-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 21:49:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration is rejecting the idea of using roughly US$5 billion in contingency funds to keep food aid flowing into November amid the government shutdown, according to a Department of Agriculture memo that surfaced on Friday. States temporarily covering the cost of benefits next month will not be reimbursed, the memo says. Democratic lawmakers and various advocacy groups have been calling on the administration to use the contingency fund to provide partial benefits into November... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3330291/us-wont-use-contingency-fund-keep-food-aid-flowing-memo-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3330291/us-wont-use-contingency-fund-keep-food-aid-flowing-memo-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 01:53:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration is quadrupling the country’s low-tariff imports of Argentine beef in his attempt to lower supermarket beef prices, a White House official said on Thursday, evoking fury from the nation’s cattle ranchers. Raising the tariff rate quota on Argentine beef to 80,000 metric tons will let the country ship more of its beef to the US at a lower rate of duty. US beef prices have set records due to tight cattle supplies and strong consumer demand. The US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330121/trump-quadruple-argentine-beef-imports-while-us-ranchers-fume?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3330121/trump-quadruple-argentine-beef-imports-while-us-ranchers-fume?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 16:48:56 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Argentina has tightened export standards for sorghum to strengthen sales to China, a move that could add new strain to relations with the United States, once the main supplier of the grain before tariffs upended global trade. The Agriculture Secretariat issued a resolution on Friday, setting new grading rules based on test weight and limiting impurities, broken kernels and non-grain material. Exports must now meet minimum weights of 72, 70 and 67 kilograms per hectolitre depending on grade.... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328047/argentina-tightens-sorghum-rules-boost-china-trade-risking-new-clash-trump-team?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328047/argentina-tightens-sorghum-rules-boost-china-trade-risking-new-clash-trump-team?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 15:11:34 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday he expects coming talks with China to yield a “big breakthrough” in trade relations, adding that aid for soybean farmers could be announced as soon as Tuesday. Bessent made the upbeat predictions during an interview with CNBC. “The most important thing we’re going to see,” the Treasury chief offered, is a pull-aside meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at a regional summit in South Korea later this month, adding that his own trade talks... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327691/us-treasury-chief-sees-big-breakthrough-ahead-us-china-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3327691/us-treasury-chief-sees-big-breakthrough-ahead-us-china-trade-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 19:28:37 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Argentina’s soybean export orders surged to a seven-year high this month as Chinese importers bought millions of tonnes of the staple crop during a brief suspension of export taxes, securing more than half of their near-term needs from South America. The rush of orders has rattled the Trump administration, where divisions are deepening over Argentine President Javier Milei’s closer ties with Beijing and what many Republicans see as a direct blow to American farmers. Friction over the latest... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327291/argentinas-soy-exports-china-soar-amid-us-bailout-fuelling-tensions-trump-camp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327291/argentinas-soy-exports-china-soar-amid-us-bailout-fuelling-tensions-trump-camp?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 16:41:40 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A Texas law restricting property ownership and leasing by Chinese citizens came into effect this week, thrusting affected residents into legal limbo with no path to relief before November. The law, which restricts real estate purchases by companies, individuals and government entities linked to countries that the federal government deems a threat to the US, took effect on September 1 after a legal challenge failed to block it in time. The legislation identifies China, Iran, North Korea and... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3324572/texas-law-curbing-chinese-property-rights-takes-effect-no-relief-sight-months?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3324572/texas-law-curbing-chinese-property-rights-takes-effect-no-relief-sight-months?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:16:03 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A US federal court in Texas is dismissing a suit against a state law that would restrict property ownership and leasing by Chinese citizens, less than a month before the measure is to be implemented, according to one of the lawyers in the case. The law, signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in June and set to take effect on September 1, restricts real estate purchases by companies, individuals and government entities linked to countries that the federal government or Texas governor designates as... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3321914/court-dismiss-suit-against-texas-law-limit-chinese-property-rights-lawyer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3321914/court-dismiss-suit-against-texas-law-limit-chinese-property-rights-lawyer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:14:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Department of Agriculture said it has fired 70 foreign contract researchers after a national security review intended to secure the US food supply from adversaries including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. “USDA has completed a thorough review of individuals authorised to work on contracts with the department and identified around 70 individuals from countries of concern,” a spokesperson said. “The individuals working on these contracts from countries of concern will no longer be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318821/us-farm-agency-fires-70-foreign-researchers-after-national-security-review?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3318821/us-farm-agency-fires-70-foreign-researchers-after-national-security-review?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 14:42:31 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met on the sidelines of a Southeast Asia conference after sparring for influence in a region under threat from President Donald Trump’s tariffs (See Trump 2.0 Tariffs Tracker). The first-ever meeting between the two officials took place in Kuala Lumpur, where they are attending an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) gathering. Rubio earlier told reporters he could push for Chinese help to end Russia’s war in Ukraine... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3317818/rubio-wang-meet-china-gdp-nvidia-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3317818/rubio-wang-meet-china-gdp-nvidia-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 09:30:21 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han US President Donald Trump’s administration is expanding scrutiny of Chinese and other foreign ownership of American farmland and starting to cancel agricultural contracts with entities from “countries of concern” amid apprehension over the national security risks of such foreign involvement. As part of a new seven-part National Farm Security Action Plan, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters on Tuesday that “swift legislative and executive action” would be taken at “every level of... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3317456/trump-admin-restricts-foreign-ownership-us-farmland-amid-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3317456/trump-admin-restricts-foreign-ownership-us-farmland-amid-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 17:16:25 +0000