Promise Details
In mid-October 2025, Donald Trump announced that the United States is considering terminating purchases of cooking oil (including used cooking oil) from China as part of retaliation for China’s refusal to buy U.S. soybeans. The U.S. was China’s top market for used cooking oil (UCO), importing over 1.27 million metric tons in 2024. Trump said the U.S. can easily produce cooking oil itself and doesn’t need China. Though the statement signals a shift in trade policy, the U.S.–China cooking oil trade had already dropped sharply earlier in the year (65 % decline in imports) due to tax and rebate changes on China’s side. Whether full termination will be implemented remains to be seen, as the trade value is modest compared with major commodities. The announcement reflects Trump’s broader posture of trade-leverage and threat rhetoric toward China. As of 2025 no comprehensive ban or termination specifically targeting cooking oil from China has been enacted.
Why it is broken
Trump’s statement about halting cooking oil imports from China was positioned as retaliation for Chinese trade restrictions. Import data already showed steep declines before his announcement. As of October 2025, no executive order, tariff, or formal embargo exists. The threat remains political signaling rather than an implemented trade policy. The measure is under discussion but was not unexecuted
Sources
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