China’s food, energy supplies secure without US imports, official says

China’s food and energy security would not be compromised if the country were to halt purchases of grain and fuel from the United States, a senior Chinese economic official has stressed, as an intensifying trade war threatens to disrupt flows of goods between the world’s two largest economies.

“The Chinese people’s rice bowl is firmly held in their own hands,” said Zhao Chenxin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a press conference on Monday.

Agriproducts and fuel were among America’s largest exports to China before the tariff war effectively brought trade to a standstill, along with hi-tech products such as semiconductors and aircraft.

In 2024, imports of sorghum, corn and soybeans from the US only accounted for a “small share” of China’s total grain consumption, and most of those imports were for use in animal feed rather than the food industry, Zhao said.

“These products are highly replaceable and the international market has abundant supplies,” Zhao said. “Besides, China has sufficient grain reserves.