China has purchased roughly 12 million tons of US soybeans over the past three months, meeting a trade pledge announced by the Trump administration in November, Bloomberg reported.

A large share of the cargoes is expected to flow into China’s strategic reserves, managed by state-owned Sinograin.

The purchases follow China’s return to the US market in late October, after months of avoiding US crops amid rising tariffs before trade negotiations between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. While Beijing has not publicly acknowledged the commitment, authorities facilitated the purchases by reducing tariffs and lifting import restrictions on three US suppliers, Bloomberg noted.

Traders familiar with the shipments said China had hovered near the target for several days before completing enough bookings to meet it. Most cargoes are scheduled to load in the first quarter, with several recent Chinese soybean auctions helping make room for incoming supplies.

US Department of Agriculture export data, which lags real-time shipments, recorded just over 8 million tons as of January 8. Continued purchases by state-backed firms in recent weeks pushed the total to 12 million tons, Bloomberg reported.

Randy Place, senior grains analyst at the Hightower Report, told Bloomberg that while the milestone is significant, questions remain about whether China will continue purchases beyond this figure.

The completion of the 12 million-ton target is widely expected to bolster confidence that China could meet a broader White House goal of buying at least 25 million tons of US soybeans annually through 2028.

Analysts caution, however, that it does not indicate a fundamental change in China’s buying patterns, as Beijing continues efforts to diversify suppliers, manage economic constraints, and account for strong Brazilian harvests. China has largely covered its soybean needs through March and is also booking new-crop soybeans from Brazil for shipments as far ahead as August.