China canceled 12,000 metric tons of United States pork shipments amid a high-stakes trade standoff between the superpowers

China, one of the biggest U.S. trading partners, axed 12,000 metric tons of U.S. pork orders, the data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows.

The move represents the biggest cancellation of pork orders since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains and stalled economies around the world, Bloomberg News reported. 

 

 “U.S. pork imports are now facing a 172 percent tariff, the U.S. Meat Export Federation said”

China, behind Mexico and Japan, was the U.S.’s third-biggest market for pork in 2024, importing some 475,000 metric tons valued at more than $1.1 billion. 

China is the world’s biggest producer of pork, accounting for nearly 50 percent of global supply at around 57 million metric tons, according to the USDA. The U.S. was ranked third at 11 percent with 12 million metric tons.

President Trump shook the global trading system by imposing sweeping tariffs earlier this month on dozens of countries. He slapped a 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods coming into the U.S., prompting China to fire back with its own 125 percent duty. 

China said Thursday that the U.S. is not engaged in talks to come up with a new trade deal, a characterization that Trump rejected later in the day. 

“They had meetings this morning, and we’ve been meeting with China. And, so I think you have … as usual, I think you have your reporting wrong,” Trump told reporters Thursday. 

After the tariff hikes, China inked two agricultural trade agreements with Spain, for pork and cherries, as Beijing looks to strengthen relations with European countries, Reuters reported.

U.S. pork imports are now facing a 172 percent tariff, the U.S. Meat Export Federation said, according to Bloomberg News.